rnia 
,1 


5547 

^^,  114  proved 

'•L';:  ^2 "^ 

plans  to  save  a 
busy  man  time. 


Southern  Branch 
of  the 

University  of  California 

Los  Angeles 

Form  L-l 

HP 
55^7 

osa 


This  book  is  DUE  on   the  last  date  stamped  below 


.VIA/  7      192&- 
JAN  31  199 


■^orm  L-9-2m-7,'22 


t-.> 


In  this  drawer  are  paper,  cards. 

envelops,  and  other  supplies  naturally 

reached  tor  with  the  left  hand 


These  are  the  only  transient  papers 
ahout  the  desk.  The  folder  in  theexecu 
five's  left  hand  contains  reports  relating 
to  these  papers,  and  helongs.  when  not' 
in  use.  in  the  lower  right  hand  drawer. 


Folders  containing 
reports  on  work  In 
process,  riirtation 
and  house  notes 

Pencils  and 
rubber  stamps 

Clips,  pins,  rubtier 
hands  and  paste 

Graphs  and  reports 

of  progress,  posted 

up  (odate  from 

time  to  time 

Small  scratch  pad 

with  the  pad  flush 

against  the  glass 

he  can  tear  off  a 

sheet  with  one  hand 

Noteliook  for 

appointments  and 

"things  to  do" 

Putting  your  desk  in  fighting  trim  is  a  good  first  step  to- 
ward saving  time  for  big  tasks,  loe' II  all  agree.  This  busi- 
ness man  has  made  his  desk  an  effective  business  tool  by 
arranging  it  so  he  can  secure,  with  the  least  waste  of  mo- 
tions, all  his  "'equipment."     (See  Plan  93.) 


lU  PROVED  PLANS 

TO  SAVE  A 

BUSY  MAN  TIME 


TESTED  PLANS  FOR  MAKING  EVERY  MINUTE  COUNT- 
WAYS  TO  KEEP  WORK  FREE  FROM  INTERRUPTION- 
HOW  TO  PUT  YOUR  OFFICE  AND  DESK  IN  EF- 
FECTIVE  TIME-SAVING  TRIM— METHODS 
THAT  HELP  TO  SPEED  UP  ROUTINE 


A.  W.  SHAW  COMPANY 

CHICAGO  NEW  YORK 

LONDON 


"HOW  BOOKS" 

How  to  Increase  Your  Sales 

How  to  Increase  a  Bank's  Deposits 

How  to  Increase  the  Sales  of  a  Store 

How  to  Sell  More  Fire  Insurance 

How  to  Talk  Business  to  Win 

How  to  Write  Advertisements  that  Sell 

How  to  Finance  a  Business 

How  to  Advertise  a  Bank 

How  to  Get  More  Out  of  Your  Factory 

How  to  Cut  Your  Coal  Bill 

How  to  Run  a  Retail  Lumber  Business  at  a  Pro&t 

How  to  Find  Factory  Costs 

How  Scientific  Management  is  Applied 

The  Knack  of  Managing  {five  pocket  volumes) 

The  Business  Man's  Encyclopedia  (fonr  volumes) 

The  Knack  of  Factory  Management  {ihree  volumes) 

78  Proved  Plans  for  Handling  and  Closing  Real  Estate  Deals 

96  Proved  Plans  for  Collecting  Money  by  Mail 

161  Store  Plans  to  Win  New  Trade 

SHAW  STANDARD  BUSINESS  BOOKS 

Advertising''* 

Good  Will,  Trade  Marks  and  Unfair  Trading 

Purchasing  and  Employment** 

How  to  Write  Business  Letters 

Business  Correspondence* 

Sales  Correspondence** 

The  Automatic  Letter  V/riter  and  Dictation  System 

The  Business  Correspondence  Library  {three  volumes) 

How  to  Teach  Business  Correspondence 

Credits  Collections  and  Finance** 

Office  Methods  and  Accounting** 

The  Cost  of  Production* 

Costs  and  Statistics** 

A  Report  on  Scientific  Office  Management 

Personality  in  Business 

Employer  and  Employee* 

Handling  Men* 

Organizing  a  Factory* 

Industrial  Organization** 

The  Library  of  Factory  Management  (six  volumes) 

A  Report  on  the  Taylor  System  of  Scientific  Management 

•  The'Knatii  oESellJag  (sz«,^oci;ei  w^«tft«)  * 
t       Sal^f'^anjigensgnt*'^         \  *    '  •,* •  t     « 

•  •  •AmerJcau  -Industrfas*— Studies  uiTTliie^  pommercial  Problems 

Volume  I-The  V/ool  Industry 

*g6uI^P^*  Jitssi*e^  J> the '^d'*cal*o^rjfidiion) 
•••Ret^Iil'Mefch&ftdisJhg*      *•**    *•*  *.,• 
Commercial  Correspondence 

REPORTS    {Issued  by  the  Bureau  of  Business  Standards) 
What  It  Costs  to  Run  a  Bank 
The  Taylor  System  of  Scientific  Management 
Scientific  Office  Management 

A.  W.  SHAW  COMPANY 

Publishers 

SYSTEM,  the  Magazine  of  Business 

FACTORY,  the  Magazine  of  Management 

SYSTEM  ON  THE  FARM 
NEW  YORK       CHICAGO       LONDON 
*  Formerly  Issued  in  "THE  BUSINESS  MAN'S  LIBRARY" 
»*  Formerly  issued  in  "THE  LIBRARY  OF  BUSINESS  PRACTICE" 

CopjTight,  19  IS,  by 

A.  VJ.  SHAW  COMPANY 

Printed  in  U.  S.  A. 


W  F 


WHERE  TO  FIND  THE  PLAN 
YOU  WANT 


^ 


Plan  No. 

Accounting  sj^stem,  a  simple 

one  22,  101 

Annunciator,  for  appointments  80 
APPOINTMENTS 

-  early  morning  114 

-  making,  with  employees        15 
-watching  97.112 

ARRANGEMENT 

-  of  desk  54,  58,  66,  83,  93 
30,  64,  70 

84,  98 


^        -  office 

S    Assigning  tasks 

:^  B 

Bids,  tabulating  21 

BOARDS 

-  display  48 

-  for  watching  office  work, 

14,  26,  40,  45,  78,  85,  92,  105 

«jO    Callers,  handling,  8,   12,  20, 
^  25.  35,  37,  55,  61,  65,  70,  86, 

106,  109 
Catalogs,  filing  31 

Causes  of  wasted  time  74 

CHARTS 

-graphic         9,  36,  52,  100,  104 

-  organization  37 

-  progress  11,  16 
Checking  up  on  yourself  43 
Codes,  color                            13,  26 
Colors,  individual  for  each  de- 
partment                                6,  13 

Concentrate,  plans  that  help 

to  77,  82 

CONFERENCES 

-  saving  time  with  88 


Plan  No. 

-  starting  the  day  with    87,  114 

-  that  save  time  17 


Delegating  work  to  assistants, 

72,  108 
Desk  arrangement,  1,  2,  54, 

58,  66,  83,  93 
Display  boards  48 


Fatigue,  avoiding  24 

File,  memory  96 

FILES 

-  information,  6,  7,  10,  18, 

27,  38.  62,  69.  81.  102 

-  that  cut  time  67 

FILING 

-  catalogs  31 

-  magazines  32 

-  routine  107 

-  system,  that  saves  time. 

89,  90.  91 
Finishing  work  111 


Graphs  9,  36,  52,  100,  104 

I 

Indexing  information  95 

Information  file,  6,  7,  10,  18, 

27,  38,  62,  69,  81,  102 
Interviews,  saving  time  on  29 

Instructions,  issuing  95^ 


Plan  No. 


K 


Keeping  information  in  sight        1 
Keeping  the  desk  clear  3 

Knacks  that  save  time  73 


Letter  writing 

5 

M 

Machines,  using 

76,99 

MAGAZINES 

-filing 

32 

-  reading 
Mail,  handling  the 
Map  for  routing  calls 

103 

49 

4 

MEMORANDA 

-  special  pad  for 

-  one  way  to  keep 
Memory  cards 

34.44 

41 

19,27 

-  the  day's  work 
Progress  charts 


Plan  No. 

46,47 
11,  14,  16 


Reading  magazines  76,  99 

Recreation  periods  24 

Remembering  names  19 

Reports  that  save  time  60 

Routing  calls  on  customers  4 


Schedule,  working  by,  51,  57, 

63,68 

Shock  absorbers  for  execu- 
tives 8 

Signing  mail  42,  113 

System  for  the  man  who 
travels  79 


"Odds  and  ends"  folder  44 
OFFICE 

-  arrangement  30,  64,  70 

-  a  traveling  56 

-  directory  59 

-  hours  39 
One-man  business,  accounting 

system  for  22 


Tabulating  bids  21 

Tasks,  assigning  84 
Telegrams,  getting  service  on  110 
TELEPHONE 

-  orders,  handling  23 

-  ways  to  use  the  50,  72 
Traveling  office  56 


PLANNING 

-  boards,  11,  26,  36,  40,  45, 

78.  85.  92.  105 


W 

Wasted  time,  eliminating  28 

Writing  letters  6 


HOW  TO  GET  THE  GREATEST  VALUE 
FROM  THIS  BOOK 


There  are  scores  of  time-saving  plans  in  this  little  book, 
but  each  of  them  was  selected  only  after  one  or  more 
similar  plans  had  been  discarded.  Several  hundred  plans 
were  carefully  inspected  to  secure  the  114  printed  in  the 
book. 

"WTiere  did  they  all  come  from?"  you  will  probably 
ask.  They  have  been  furnished  by  a  group  of  unusually 
successful  business  men  with  which  the  editorial  organiza- 
tion of  the  A.  W.  Shaw  Company  has  built  up  a  con- 
fidential contact.  Only  those  in  this  group  who  have 
specialized  on  working  out  plans  and  methods  for  saving 
time  supplied  material  for  this  particular  book.  So  the 
book  really  not  only  contains  the  very  best  plans  from 
among  several  hundred  for  cutting  down  time  wastes, 
but  the  best  plans  worked  out  by  the  men  with  the  best 
records  for  perfecting  plans  whom  the  A.  W.  Shaw  Com- 
pany has  been  able  to  discover  after  a  country-wide 
search  extending  over  a  number  of  years. 

This  explains  why  the  plans  cover  so  many  types  of 
business.  But  this  only  increases  their  value,  of  course, 
for  it  is  a  demonstrated  fact  that  nine  out  of  every  ten 
plans  that  succeed  with  one  type  of  proposition  can  be 
used  for  almost  all  other  types.  Furthermore,  the  ever- 
increasing  intensity  of  the  competition  which  business 
men  face  nowadays  makes  it  necessary  for  them  to  draw 
their  ideas  from  more  than  one  type  of  proposition  if 
they  are  to  keep  up  to  date. 

Just  try  out  one  or  two  of  the  plans  that  appeal  to 
you  most  if  you  want  a  first-hand  proof  of  this  assertion 
that  ideas  can  be  transferred  from  one  field  to  another. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  many  classic  incidents 
illustrating  this  truth — the  cash  register  is  said  to  have 
come  from  a  device  for  recording  the  revolutions  of  a 
ship's  engines,  for  example.  These  incidents  all  go  to 
illustrate  the  important  fundamentiil  truth  that  the 
various  types  of  business  are  after  all  very  much  alike. 


The  A.  W.  Shaw  Company  has  on  file  records  of  hun- 
dreds of  letters  which  demonstrate  the  practicability  of 
using  the  other  man's  idea.  There  is  even  a  department 
"How  I  Used  Another  Man's  Idea"  in  its  magazine. 
System,  which  you  will  receive  in  connection  with  your 
purchase  of  this  book. 

Here  is  a  good  example  of  these  letters  from  a  recent 
mail :  Joseph  L.  Holbrook  is  office  manager  of  the  Fuller- 
Morrison  Company,  and  a  regular  reader  of  System.  In 
his  December  1916  copy  he  read  an  article  by  W.  H. 
Leffingwell  on  "What  Scientific  Rlanagement  Did  For 
My  Office."  Mr.  Holbrook  quickly  saw  how  he  could 
use  Mr.  Leffingwell's  plan  to  advantage  in  his  business. 
Let  him  tell  in  his  own  words  about  the  idea  which  cut 
time  losses  for  him: 

"This  plan,"  writes  Mr.  Holbrook,  "is  a  dandy  in  handling 
mail.  We  give  credit  for  it  to  System,  as  it  is  a  combination 
of  various  methods  that  we  read  of  there.  The  last  plan  that 
we  saw  described  hi  the  magazine  before  we  completed  our  new 
building  and  installed  the  equipment  was  in  W.  H.  Leffing- 
well's article,  'What  Scientific  Management  Did  For  My 
Office.' 

"A  new  sorting  rack,  placed  as  part  of  the  dividing  line 
between  the  mailing  department  and  the  general  offices,  is  the 
result.  Since  our  mail  for  individuals  is  likely  to  be  rather 
bulky,  we  changed  Mr.  Leffingwell's  idea.  He  described  a 
rack  on  the  'incoming  mail'  table,  with  narrow  vertical  divi- 
sions in  which  the  sorting  clerk  places  letters  and  department 
notes  to  the  various  men. 

"We  have,  instead,  compartments  that  run  clear  through 
the  rack.  The  incoming  mail  is  sorted  into  the  respective 
pigeonholes  by  the  man  who  handles  this  work  on  the  mail- 
ing room  side  of  the  rack.  On  the  office  side  of  the  rack  the 
letters  are  taken  out  and  stuffed  into  the  delivery  folders  tor 
the  boy.  It  saves  us  lots  of  time  in  handling  the  incoming 
mail." 

Be^sure  to  read  each  issue  of  System  carefully,  for  it 
will  describe  to  you  month  after  month  not  only  many 
other  tested  plans  for  saving  time,  but  also  new  and 
practical  methods  for  increasing  your  sales,  for  adver- 
tising, training  salesmen,  keeping  records,  holding  down 
expenses,  and  carrying  on  all  the  other  activities  of  your 
business-  in  the  most  effective  way. 


PLAN   I 

THIS  PLAN  MAKES  A  DESK  DO   MORE   WORK 

Here  is  described  a  new  u-ayfor  handling  detail  by  means 
of  zvhich  a  Detroit  business  man  makes  his  desk  do  tasks 
that  formerly  he,  or  his  secretary,  had  to  do.  In  fact  his 
desk  has  become  a  real  "partner." 

' '  I  have  one  great  little  time  saver, ' '  says  an  executive 
with  a  Detroit  firm.  "My  work  makes  it  necessary  to 
have  before  me  a  variety  of  lists  and  tables  of  informa- 
tion. My  desk  top  and  all  the  convenient  wall  space  are 
utilized,  and  I  was  puzzled,  for  a  time,  as  to  where  to  put 
a  running  record  of  the  whereabouts  of  my  men  and 
when  they  expected  to  return.  You  can  see  that  this 
record  must  be  handy  and  have  frequent  attention. 

*  *  I  solved  the  difficulty  by  having  the  right-hand  slid© 
leaf  of  my  desk  planed  down  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
on  the  under  side;  turned  it  over  and  put  my  records 
on  it  in  a  frame  under  glass.  The  glass  is  cut  in  strips 
about  two  inches  \vide.  By  pushing  the  strips  to  one  side 
or  the  other,  it  is  easy  to  write  in  any  column. 

"My  office  is  laid  out  on  the  principle  of  quick  and  easy 
access  to  everything  I  want,  ignoring  all  traditional 
arrangements.  So  well  has  my  idea  worked  that  every 
man  in  my  department  uses  the  same  plan  and  as  a  result 
anyone  here  can  go  to  any  desk  and  find  any  informa- 
tion it  contains  without  difficulty.  ^ 

"In  addition  to  a  standard  system  of  desk  drawei*s, 
files  and  basket,  I  have  a  file  for  departmental  mattei's 
that  belong  to  no  one  desk;  and  a  simple  little  idea  has 


10  PLAN   TWO 


saved  me  a  world  of  time — just  putting  the  index  under 
the  glass,  on  the  right-hand  comer  of  my  desk.  The  file 
stands  almost  touching  that  corner,  so  you  can  see  I  have 
reduced  the  time  necessary  to  find  a  paper  in  that  file 
practically  to  a  minimum." 

This  same  man  has  a  simple  little  attachment  on  his 
desk  which,  he  says,  has  returned  its  cost  several  times  in 
the  minutes  it  has  saved  him.  And  he  thoroughly  believes 
that  time  is  money.  He  had  his  dictating  machine 
mounted  on  a  drop  in  one  side  of  his  desk,  and  by  press- 
ing a  lever  with  his  foot,  he  raises  it  into  place,  or  drops 
it  out  of  sight.  As  a  result  the  machine  is  never  in  the 
way,  invisible  when  not  in  use,  and  can  be  put  in  position 
for  use  in  less  time  than  was  formerly  required. 

PLAN  2 

A  PLAN  WHICH  "GETS  THE  INFORMATION 
ON  THE  SPOT" 

This  plan,  as  you  II  quickly  see,  is  not  unlike  some  others 
in  this  hook,  but  this  man  carries  it  far  enough  to  make  it 
do  the  work  in  almost  every  case.  Surely  almost  anyone 
can  lift  a  helpful  suggestion  from  what  he  tells. 

"It's  wonderful  how  much  time  and  annoyance  I've 
saved  myself  since  I  applied  this  plan  to  my  desk,"  de- 
clares an  Iowa  business  man.  "I  was  slow  in  coming  to 
it,  for  it  is  my  misfortune  to  be  of  the  type  that  chucks 
work  away  in  a  desk  hurriedly.  However,  I've  become 
accustomed  to  my  plan  now  and  find  it  worth  more  per- 
haps than  any  other  move  I  ever  made  toward  greater 
effectiveness. 

' '  The  upper  left-hand  drawer  of  the  desk  is  instantly 
available  as  I  turn  in  my  swivel  chair.  It  contains  a 
card  index  for  quick  reference  to  the  information  in  the 


PLAN   TWO  11 


other  drawers  and  files.  The  shallow  center  drawer  is 
divided  into  little  bins  for  clips,  pen  points,  rubber  bands, 
erasers,  and  the  like.  The  upper  right-hand  drawer 
holds  a  filing  system  for  work  in  process.  Beneath  these 
are  storage  drawers — not  ordinarily  used  for  any  regu- 
lar filing  purposes. 

"The  vertical  file  consists  of  manila  folders  between 
pressboard  guides,  fitted  with  tabs  and  compressors.  It 
is  indexed  alphabetically,  numerically,  geographically, 
and  chronologically,  to  suit  my  peculiar  needs.  As  it 
contains  only  unfinished  business,  the  guide  headings 
read:  'Pending  Correspondence,'  'Rush  Dictation,' 
'Telegraph  Business,'  and  the  like.  Into  the  folders  go 
the  papers  tliat  formerly  were  chucked  into  the  pigeon- 
holes of  my  old  desk.  The  moment  any  pending  transac- 
tion is  closed,  the  papers  regarding  it  are  removed  and 
transferred  to  the  permanent  files.  This  keeps  my  desk 
and  personal  files  clear  of  all  except  live  data,  and  I  can 
find  the  papers  I  want. 

"I  have  also  an  extra  cabinet  near  by  to  use  occasion- 
ally when  press  of  business  takes  up  all  my  own  available 
space.  The  card  index  is  specially  divided  to  show  me 
instantly  what  information  is  in  this  subsidiary  desk  file. 
My  clerk  keeps  the  index  and  drawers  in  order  and  I  can 
refer  to  what  I  am  looking  for  quicker  than  the  time  re- 
quired to  give  instructions  to  anyone  else  as  to  what  I 
want  and  where  to  find  it. 

"In  the  lower  drawers  of  the  extra  cabinets  are  filed 
catalogs,  drawings,  and  other  large  and  bullry  papers. 
The  other  drawers  contain  salesmen's  reports,  follow-up 
systems,  comparative  statistics,  advertising  figures,  buy- 
ing records,  current  invoices,  stock  records,  and  special 
information  not  needed  every  day  but  important  enough 
on  various  occasions  to  have  quickly  available  when  the 
demand  for  it  does  arise. 


12  PLAN   THREE 


"The  folders  are  numbered.  If  I  wish  to  refer  to 
certain  advertising  statistics  under  the  subtitle  of  some 
magazine,  I  turn  to  my  index  and  find  the  card  bearing 
the  name  of  the  periodical,  in  its  alphabetical  position  in 
the  tray.  This  gives  the  number  of  the  folder  in  the 
cabinet.  I  have  found,  too,  that  often  the  index  card 
itself  can  be  used  to  present  brief  summaries  or  tabula- 
tions, or  concise  statements  of  facts,  so  that  the  mere 
reference  to  the  card  will  sometimes  suffice,  without 
opening  the  cabinet, 

PLAN  3 

HERE'S  A  TESTED  PLAN  FOR  CUTTING 
A  FEW  CORNERS 

And  that  is  not  all.     It  also  provides  a  simple  way  for 
handling  and  disposing  of  unfinished  icork  in  quick  order. 

A  Cleveland  executive  whose  desk  tray  had  become 
a  catch-all  for  miscellaneous  papers  and  letters  which 
had  to  be  kept  ready  for  reference  but  individually  were 
hard  to  find  when  needed,  worked  out  a  simple  plan  for 
overcoming  this  handicap.  He  had  filing  folders  made 
of  different  colors  of  stock:  red  for  papers  of  impor- 
tance which  he  may  have  to  refer  to  at  any  instant; 
blue  for  papers  to  go  over  with  the  sales  manager ;  and 
buff  for  plans   or  suggestions   to   be  considered  later. 

When  a  note  or  letter  comes  to  his  desk  which  cannot 
receive  immediate  attention,  it  is  placed  at  once  in  the 
proper  folder,  to  be  taken  up  at  the  earliest  opportunity. 
The  items  may  include  important  letters  that  require 
answers  within  a  day  or  two,  details  to  take  up  with  a 
department  manager,  reports  to  be  acted  on,  or  other 
memoranda  that  cannot  be  permanently  filed. 

Now  he  doesn't  have  to  rummage  through  the  tray 
and  take  the  time  to  see  if  he  has  forgotten  some  duty. 


PLAN   FOUR 


13 


Figure  1:  Glance  at  this  map  and  then  read  Plan  4  and  you  will 
no  doubt  agree  that  the  map  can  be  of  real  service  in  almost  any 
office.  The  big  idea  behind  it  is  a  classification  of  business  interest 
by  sections.  This  makes  it  possible  to  cover  all  the  prospects  in 
a  certain  section  ivithout  "doubling  back." 


PLAN  4 

"SAVES  HOURS  WHICH  MIGHT  OTHERWISE 
BE  WASTED" 

There  are  surely  a  score  of  ways  in  which  the  idea  back 
of  this  man's  plan  can  be  adapted  to  special  circum- 
stances— and  no  doubt  you'll  quickly  work  out  all  of  them. 

A  management  consultant,  whose  duties  take  him  to 
various  industrial  plants  in  and  around  a  large  city, 
has  evolved  a  plan  for  saving  time  in  calling  upon  those 
of  hLs  prospective  clients  who  are  located  in  the  sections 
in  which  he  already  has  clients. 

The  task  of  *' routing"  himself  on  these  trips  is  sim- 
plified by  a  large  wall  map  of  the  city  mounted  on  a 
wooden  frame  which  hangs  directly  before  his  desk.  Into 
it  he  sticks  numbered  tacks  of  different  colors  to  indi- 
cate the  location  of  his  prospects  and  their  financial 
ratings  according  to  the  leading  commercial  agencies. 

The  "key"  to  this  map  is  typewritten  on  sheets  of 
paper  that  give  the  names  of  the  concerns   (opposite 


14  PLAN   FIVE 


numbers  corresponding  to  those  on  the  tacks),  the  indi- 
viduals in  charge,  and  additional  details  about  the 
ratings. 

Before  starting  out  to  visit  one  of  his  clients,  he 
glances  at  the  map,  makes  out  his  itinerary  on  a  small 
card,  and  drops  in  to  see  his  prospects  on  either  the  way- 
out  or  the  way  back.  The  idea  is,  of  course,  applicable 
to  the  work  of  any  man,  whose  business  calls  him  out- 
side the  office  at  times. 

PLAN  5 
THIS  PLAN  HELPS  IDEAS  GROW 

Ueres  a  plan  which  doesn't  cost  a  cent  to  start,  and  yet 
the  man  who  uses  it  says  it  is  a  gold  mine  of  mimdes 
and  no  doubt  you  II  agree  that's  a  pretty  good  recommen- 
dation for  any  plan. 

''I  now  prepare  my  letters  in  about  half  the  time  that 
it  formerly  took,"  says  one  man.  "By  this  I  do  not 
mean  that  I  have  allowed  quality  to  sag.  A  good  letter 
is,  of  course,  worth  all  the  time  necessary  to  make  it  good 
enough  to  engage  the  reader's  attention. 

"Here  is  my  system:  Every  interesting  letter  that 
comes  to  my  office  goes  into  a  special  file.  Two  or  three 
times  a  month  I  run  through  the  letters  I  have  collected 
and  pick  out  the  ones  that  seem  worth  keeping  for  refer- 
ence and  further  study. 

"In  this  way  I  have  secured  a  permanent  collection 
that  I  value  highly.  When  I  need  an  idea  I  go  to  my 
file  of  good  letters,  and  usually  quickly  get  a  valuable 
suggestion  that  I  can  use  in  the  letter  I  am  planning.  I 
often  find  paragraphs  ready  made,  almost  always  sugges- 
tions of  wording,  arrangement,  and  sometimes  whole 
plans,  and  so  my  special  file  is  a  'veritable  gold  mine'  of 
both  minutes  and  ideas  gained." 


PLAN   SIX 15 

PLAN  6 

THIS  MAN  HARDLY  EVER  GETS  "SNARLED 
UP"  IN  DETAILS 

And  that's  what  every  business  man  is  trying  to  do.  So 
this  plan  for  handling  the  day's  work  is  almost  bound  to 
contain  suggestions  that  may  be  worth  your  while. 

An  executive  with  an  eastern  company  does  not  allow 
himself  to  get  snarled  up  in  a  mass  of  detail,  because 
he  has  developed  a  definite  plan  for  each  day 's  work. 

First  of  all,  when  he  saw  his  tasks  increasing,  he 
established  a  statistical  department,  which  has  become 
invaluable  to  him.  With  this  supply  of  information  at 
his  command  at  an  instant's  notice,  he  does  not  have  to 
hold  up  an  expensive  proposition  while  all  the  facts 
essential  to  its  completion  are  gathered  from  various 
sources. 

This  department  is  really  nothing  more  than  an  en- 
larged information  file.  It  keeps  this  executive  in  close 
touch  with  every  branch  of  his  own  industry,  as  well 
as  with  market  conditions  affecting  the  commodities  in 
which  his  company  deals.  It  affords  him  ready  access 
to  every  feature  of  operation  and  maintenance  in  both 
the  manufacturing  and  merchandising  ends  of  the  busi- 
ness and  collects  every  desirable  fact  on  trade  conditions 
for  his  use  at  any  time.  Articles  by  financial  and  trade 
authorities  are  also  carefully  filed  for  future  reference. 

As  this  executive's  product  is  used  in  finishing  new 
buildings  he  has  placed  on  his  desk  each  day  tabulations 
of  the  building  permits  issued  throughout  the  country. 
Thus,  without  holding  long  conferences  or  wondering 
over  business  conditions  he  can  tell  at  a  glance  just  about 
what  the  market  possibilities  for  his  product  are. 

On  his  desk  stands  a  tickler  file.  Any  proposition 
that  can  be  decided  at  once  is  decided  at  once.    He  dis- 


16 PLAN    SEVEN 

ciplines  himself  against  even  a  moment's  waste  of  time. 
If  it  requires  investigation  and  a  report,  it  is  ticketed 
to  the  person  who  is  to  handle  it,  with  instructions  as 
to  when  a  reply  is  expected,  and  a  tickler  memorandum 
is  put  under  that  date. 

In  order  to  keep  his  memoranda  distinct  and  different 
from  all  other  memoranda  in  the  office,  he  notes  them 
all  in  purple  pencil.  In  this  way  he  saves  considerable 
time  because  he  does  not  have  to  affix  his  signature  or 
add  any  unnecessary  explanation.  Every  assistant  and 
employee  knows  the  source  of  a  purple  note.  This  idea 
of  individual  pencil  colors  is  carried  out  by  each  depart- 
ment head  who  uses  his  own  particular  color,  for  in- 
stance, one  blue,  one  red,  another  yellow,  and  still  another 
green. 

The  executive  allows  no  business  to  accumulate  on 
his  desk.  He  never  permits  himself  to  become  tangled 
up  in  any  routine  which  is  better  understood  and  handled 
by  his  lieutenants — and,  since  it  is  better  understood, 
is  better  executed  by  them.  He  has  clearly  defined  de- 
partmental policies,  and  details  are  thus  carried  into 
effect  by  his  subordinates  without  frequent  interruptions 
to  consider  unimportazit  details. 

PLAN  7 

"ONE  OF  THE  BEST  TIME  SAVERS  I 
HAVE  EVER  FOUND" 

Here^s  a  flan  to  gain  a  lap  on  the  clock  which  has  stood  a 
practical  test.  You  may  say  that  there  is  nothing  par- 
ticularly new  about  it,  but  it  actually  did  save  time  for 
this  man,  and  surely  a  plan  that  actually  saves  time  for 
one  business  man  ought  to  interest  all  of  us. 

*  *  It  wasn  't  so  very  long  ago  that  the  deep  lower  drawer 
of  my  desk  was  cluttered  with  odds  and  ends — bits  of 


PLAN   EIGHT  17 


information  I  thought  I  might  have  use  for  some  time, ' ' 
writes  a  southern  business  man.  "But  it  did  me  no 
good  because  I  couldn't  find  what  I  wanted  without 
wasting  too  much  time.  So  I  cleaned  out  the  material 
one  day  and  fixed  up  an  orderly  information  file  in  its 
place.  This  plan  for  keeping  items  where  I  can  find  them 
in  a  jiffy  has  proved  one  of  the  best  time  savers  I  have 
been  able  to  find. 

' '  Whenever,  in  my  reading  or  elsewhere,  I  come  across 
articles  that  may  later  prove  valuable  to  me  I  clip  them 
and  place  them  in  folders  carefully  indexed  as  to  subject 
in  this  deep  lower  drawer.  If,  for  example,  I  read  a  par- 
ticularly good  article  on  'paints,'  I  clip  it  and  file  it  in  a 
'paints'  folder.  If  I  receive  a  good  circular  letter,  I  file 
it  with  other  'sample  letters.'  I  have  quickly  accumu- 
lated in  this  way  an  excellent  review  file,  in  which  I  look 
for  ideas  when  I  need  them  on  short  notice.  It  contains 
the  data  I  need,  and  I  can  get  at  it  just  when  I  want  it." 

PLA^3  8 
A  "SHOCK  ABSORBER"  PLAN  FOR  SAVING  TIME 

At  least  thaCs  what  it  is  called  by  the  man  who  iises  it. 
lie  says  it  has  saved  him  many  valuable  hours.  The 
idea  is  not  new,  perhaps,  but  some  of  the  features  of  the 
plan  are  different  and,  as  Wee  as  not,  will  be  xiseful  to  you. 

The  president  of  a  Pacific  Coast  concern  believes  in 
extending  the  utmost  courtesy  to  every  visitor  from  the 
"least  to  the  greatest,"  but  his  time  is  too  valuable  to 
see  them  all,  so  he  saves  precious  hours  by  having  a 
specially  trained  assistant  receive  them. 

He  first  analyzed  his  plan  from  various  angles  and 
then  selected  a  courteous  and  diplomatic  young  lawyer 
for  the  job.  The  young  man  was  not  thrown  blindly 
into  his  task.    For  several  months  he  simply  was  present 


18  PLAN  NINE 


at  all  interviews  conducted  by  the  head  official.  He  was 
introduced  as  the  ''assistant  to  the  president"  when  he 
began  his  new  work. 

When  he  had  sufficiently  imbibed  the  concern's  cour- 
tesy policy  he  was  given  the  title  of  "vice-president"  and 
assigned  the  duty  of  receiving  all  callers.  As  an  in- 
centive to  guard  the  interests  of  his  employer  he  was 
given  one  share  of  stock  in  the  company.  Now,  with 
the  exception  of  a  very  few  persons,  whom  it  is  unques- 
tionably to  his  chief's  interest  to  see,  he  satisfactorily 
takes  care  of  all  visitors. 

This  "shock  absorber"  arrangement,  as  the  president 
himself  calls  it,  has  given  him  incalculable  minutes  for 
his  larger  problems.  Of  course,  the  selection  of  the  right 
subordinate  is  essential  and  he  must  be  carefully  trained. 

PLAN  9 

SPECIAL  PLANS  ARE  OFTEN  NEEDED  FOR 
SPECIAL  CASES 

You  may  say  that  this  plan  only  applies  to  special  cases. 
That  is  quite  true,  but  the  principle  behind  it — eliminat- 
ing petty  details  in  order  to  have  more  time  for  the  real 
problems,  applies  to  scores  of  cases. 

In  an  office  where  diagrams  and  graphs  have  been  used 
for  some  time  to  visualize  periodic  reports  and  state- 
ments, the  executive  has  hit  on  a  plan  to  cut  his  routine 
still  further  and  at  the  same  time  to  secure  very  satis- 
factory results. 

Frequently  he  has  occasion  to  refer  to  these  reports  in 
working  on  his  various  financial  and  development  prob- 
lems. Formerly  this  meant  getting  out  the  ones  desired 
and  going  over  them  on  his  desk,  which  had  to  be  cleared 
for  the  purpose.  This  meant  loss  of  time.  Now  he  has 
them  mounted  and  hung  on  swinging  racks  near  his  desk. 
Each  statement  is  before  the  executive  and  he  can  gain 


PLAN  TEN  19 


his  information  without  moving  even  a  piece  of  paper. 
He  uses  racks  to  hold  12  graphic  charts.  Each  chart, 
of  course,  contains  facts  on  a  single,  specific  phase  of  the 
firm's  activities. 

The  fluctuations  in  the  amount  of  business  on  hand, 
the  numbers  of  employees,  the  financial  account,  the 
purchases  of  material,  and  even  in  market  prices  of  com- 
modities, which  have  a  bearing  upon  the  welfare  of  the 
business,  are  among  the  items  thus  charted. 

The  graphs  are  all  of  uniform  size  and  are  mounted 
under  glass  in  the  rack  frames,  w^hich  are  suspended  from 
a  wall  holder.  Thus  all  important  reports  are  preserved 
just  as  perfectly  as  if  filed.  Furthermore,  the  frames 
are  so  arranged  that  they  can  be  closed  together  to  insure 
privacy  whenever  desired.  It  is  the  task  of  a  clerk  to 
keep  the  graphs  up  to  date. 

"I  have  found  the  plan  elastic  and  adaptable  to  the 
needs  of  the  individual  case,"  says  this  business  man. 
"Indeed,  one  or  two  such  graphs  might  serve  the  pur- 
pose of  the  average  office.  Sales  records,  cost  records, 
and  production  records  are  particularly  well  expressed 
in  this  graphic  form  which  I  am  using." 

PLAN   10 

ANOTHER  PLAN  WHICH  BRINGS  INFORMA- 
TION TO  HAND  QUICKLY 

In  folders  like  this  carbons  of  all  items  that  require  follow- 
ing up  are  filed,  and  they  automatically  appear  on  the 
proper  day. 

"A  little  thought  outside  the  office  and  an  'informa- 
tion' file  inside  have  combined  to  save  me  many  hours  of 
mechanical  search  for  information  during  office  hours," 
says  a  southern  business  man. 


20  PLAN   ELEVEN 


"Some  years  ago  my  tasks  broadened  into  fresh  chan- 
nels and  led  me  to  seek  new  funds  of  information.  I 
found  mj'self  exclaiming  with  increasing;  frequency  when 
searching  for  some  specific  fact :  'Why  I  read  about  that 
in  some  magazine  only  a  week  or  so  ago.'  But  which 
magazine  or  which  issue  I  could  not  tell.  In  fact,  the 
more  I  racked  my  brain  the  more  I  became  confused  as 
to  just  where  I  had  read  it.  This  uncertainty  and  con- 
sequent waste  of  time  bothered  me,  so  I  worked  out  the 
following  plan  for  cutting  out  the  guesswork : 

"Whenever  I  run  across  anything  in  my  reading  that 
I  feel  has  some  bearing  on  my  own  business  activities  I 
clip  it  and  slip  it  into  a  small,  vest-pocket  book,  I  do 
this  no  matter  where  I  am  or  when  I  come  across  it.  The 
newspapers  often  contain  important  items  and  business 
magazines  are  prolific  in  suggesting  better  business 
methods. 

"Once  a  week  I  take  the  clippings  from  my  little  book 
and  file  them  in  folders,  arranged  by  subjects  to  afford 
ease  in  looking  up  any  desired  fact.  I  keep  this  file  near 
my  desk  and  as  I  work  I  refer  to  various  subjects  which 
put  me  in  touch  quickly  with  the  ideas  I  want.  I  thus 
have  at  ray  command  a  fairly  complete  reference  library 
of  practical  information. ' ' 

PLAN  n 

A  PLAN  WHICH  IS  "WORTH  MANY  HUN- 
DREDS OF  DOLLARS"  TO  ONE  MAN 

Unfinished  work  is  always  a  troublesome  "Sword  of 
Damascus"  in  most  concerns.  Here's  a  plan  for  reducing 
its  terms. 

A  "danger  signal"  progress  board  serves  one  business 
man  as  a  v/arning  on  work  unfinished  in  his  office.  This 
is  a  development  from  the  progress  sheet  on  which  tasks 


PLAN   ELEVEN 


21 


Figure  2:  Here's  a  managers'  progress  board  designed  to  strip 
both  office  arid  factory  work  of  its  routine  details,  delegate  duties 
to  assistants,  and  definitely  fix  the  responsibility  for  all  tasks. 
You  II  agree  that  stich  a  plan  goes  a  long  tvay  toward  giinng  the 
manager  a  whip-handle  grip  on  accomplishment  {see  Plan    11). 


were  checked  to  completion  as  they  passed  through 
various  stages.  His  objection  to  this  old  method  was 
that  the  blank  spaces,  showing  what  was  still  undone 
at  critical  periods  in  the  work,  were  lost  in  the  maze 
of  "finished"  checkmarks. 

The  new  plan,  on  the  contrary,  "shows  up"  boldly 
in  red  any  steps  still  to  be  taken  on  any  tasks.  The 
executive  thus  has  at  his  command  a  picture  of  delays 
or  slow  spots  in  his  organization  and  can  quickly  attend 
to  essentials  in  management  without  burdening  himself 
with  unnecessary  supervision. 

This  plan  is  a  panacea  for  complaints  and  excuses 
from  his  assistants.  The  * '  red  signals ' '  afford  no  chance 
for  useless  parleying  and  therefore  are  invaluable  in 
conserving  his  time. 

The  arrangement  of  the  board  is  indicated  in  Figure 
2.     The  red  signals  are  colored   pasteboard   disks  an 


22  PLAN   TWELVE 


inch  in  diameter,  and  they  take  the  place  of  the  check- 
marks in  the  old  scheme,  or  rather,  of  any  missing  check- 
marks of  work  still  incomplete.  These  disks  have  a 
small  hole  punched  in  the  center  and  slip  over  screw 
eyes  on  the  board  slightly  smaller  in  diameter  than  the 
hole.  The  chart  itself  is  of  a  dustproof  gray  and  is 
arranged  in  this  case  especially  for  the  individual  busi- 
ness of  this  executive.  Circles  are  drawn  in  rows  around 
the  screw  eyes  to  map  the  progress  of  each  task,  which 
is  indicated  by  name  on  a  removable  tab  at  the  left. 

In  operation  each  circle  is  covered  with  a  colored  disk 
at  the  start  of  the  work.  As  each  step  is  performed,  the 
particular  disk  that  represents  it  is  removed.  The  red 
spots  remaining  on  the  board  at  any  time  thus  show 
prominently  the  incomplete  items  and  consequently 
those  that  need  attention.  The  task-name  tab  is  of  card- 
board and  is  punched  at  both  ends  and  mounted  over 
screw  eyes  in  the  same  way  as  the  colored  tabs. 

The  desks  are  a  standard  product  sold  for  use  as 
checks,  and  are  ready  for  use  when  purchased  except 
that  they  have  to  be  punched.  In  cases  where  a  sharp 
distinction  is  deemed  necessary  for  different  tasks,  blue 
tabs  are  also  used.  The  red  disks  indicate  the  more 
important  items.  In  a  larger  organization  a  variety  of 
colors  would  probably  extend  the  scope  of  usefulness. 

PLAN  12 
A  PLAN  FOR  QUICKLY  "CLEARING  THE  DECKS" 

Is  there  too  mvch  intrvsion  on  your  time  ?     Here's  one 
way  out.     At  least  it  has  turned  the  trick  for  others. 

One  executive  has  worked  out  a  plan  for  disposing  of 
interviews  in  the  lea,st  possible  time  which  makes  a  sub- 
stantial saving  for  him  because  he  sees  an  unusually  large 
number  of  callers. 


PLAN  THIRTEEN 23 

His  desk  is  located  in  the  center  of  the  room,  a  little 
back  of  the  middle.  About  six  feet  away  from  him  i3 
a  long  seat  for  those  who  are  waiting  to  see  him. 

When  this  man  talks  with  a  salesman,  the  visitor's 
chair  is  so  placed  that  he  cannot  help  seeing  the  others 
who  ai'e  waiting.  This  obviously  hastens  the  interview. 
The  merchant  himself  is  a  man  of  quick  decision  which 
gives  him  a  reputation  of  seeing  all  callers  quickly.  If 
a  salesman  asks  an  opportunity  to  show  him  photographs 
or  samples  which  he  does  not  have  arranged,  the  merchant 
leaves  his  desk  and  goes  to  the  next  caller  while  the  sales- 
man is  preparing  the  goods  to  show  him.  Again,  while 
the  salesman  is  packing  his  samples,  the  merchant  finds 
time  for  another  caller  or  for  work  at  his  desk, 

PLAM   13 

A  "COLOR  CODE"  FOR  KEEPING  TRACK  OF 
VERBAL  ORDERS 

All  there  is  to  this  plan  is  a  "memo"  pad  and  three  pencils 
of  different  colors.  They  are  not  the  plan,  however — they 
are  only  the  tools.  Each  pencil  serves  a  different  purpose 
— and  therein  lies  the  plan. 

Colored  pencils  help  the  secretary  of  one  company  to 
watch  the  day's  work.  He  uses  a  desk  calendar  as  a 
reminder  in  keeping  track  of  verbal  orders  and  following 
up  all  details.  On  it  he  notes  in  red  pencil  all  important 
items  requiring  attention  first.  Subjects  for  disposal 
next  are  entered  in  blue  pencil,  while  unimportant  de- 
tails which  can  be  left  to  the  last  are  written  in  black 
pencil,  and  not  too  heavily. 

With  this  calendar  .schedule  in  "color  code"  before 
him  at  all  times,  the  secretary  is  enabled  to  tell  at  a 
glance  what  duties  are  to  be  taken  care  of  each  day.  The 
important  subjects,  standing  out  in  red,  indicate  just 


<i4i  PLAN   FOURTEEN 


how  much  work  he  has  to  accomplish,  and  what  orders 
he  must  follow  up.  A  code  of  this  hind  eliminates  the 
possibility  of  forgetting  the  most  important  work  of  the 
day  and  going  at  a  task  which  is  not  immediately 
essential. 

Another  executive  keeps  track  of  his  duties  by  un- 
screwing the  mouthpiece  of  his  telephone  slightly  and 
inserting  a  card  on  which  are  tabbed  memoranda  of  all 
the  items  scheduled  for  disposal  each  day.  As  he  uses 
his  telephone  a  great  deal  he  is  not  nearly  so  likely  to 
lose  sight  of  his  ' '  tickler "  as  he  would  be  if  it  were  in 
a  less  conspicuous  place.  Thusi  his  mind  is  relieved  of 
the  possibility  of  forgetting  an  important  appointment 
or  other  duty. 

PLAN   14 

"SAVES  TIME— LOTS  OF  IT" 

This  plan  ivorked  so  well  that  is  has  been  made  a  standard 
'practice  in  the  office  where  it  originated.  Based  on  an 
idea  that  is  widely  used,  it  goes  a  step  further  in  its  appli- 
cation. 

For  several  years  multi-leaved  "blackboards"  have 
been  conspicuous  features  in  the  offices  of  one  company, 
where  they  have  become  an  integral  part  of  the  system 
of  executive  supervision  because  of  their  value  in  econo- 
mizing time  that  can  be  used  witli  more  valuable  results 
on  more  important  tasks. 

These  "blackboards"  are  elaborations  of  the  simple 
blackboard  familiar  in  schools.  One  of  them  was  origi- 
nally hung  near  the  desk  of  each  department  head,  where- 
on he  recorded  his  daily  tasks  and  appointments  after 
the  manner  of  a  desk  calendar  pad.  As  the  plan  devel- 
oped, the  blackboards  were  expanded  to  include  several 
"leaves,"  as  shown  in  Figure  3.  Some  of  these  leaves 
are  reserved  for  notations;  others  are  used  for  posting 


PLAN   FIFTEEN 


25 


Figure  3:  Th-it  blackboard  "steals  a  march"  on  the  minutes  by 
showing  one  business  man  the  exact  hour  for  certain  tasks  and 
appointme?its.  He  prefers  the  new  method  because  it  does  away 
with  inemorandum  books  that  often  are  hard  to  locate,  and  it  en- 
ables him  to  quickly  refer  to  a  definite  record  when  his  memory  fails. 

notices,  rules,  charts,  and  other  data  which  may  have  a 
bearing  upon  the  work  of  the  department. 

"It  saves  time  —  lots  of  it,"  says  one  of  tlie  several 
men  in  the  office  who  use  the  boards  constantly.  "It  is 
like  a  book  with  the  advantages  that  it  is  always  there — 
never  gets  lost.  It  is  easy  to  handle  and  shows  its  eon- 
tents  on  such  a  scale  that  they  are  easy  to  see." 


PLAN   15 
A  TIME-TABLE  PLAN 

Getting  engagements  worked  out  on  a  sort  of  time-table 
basis  seems  to  help  a  number  of  men  save  time.  Here's 
one  variation  of  this  idea. 

Unlike  some  men,  a  business  man  located  in  the  East 
finds  it  impracticable  to  date  ahead  conferences  with 


26  PLAN   SIXTEEN 


liis  assistants.  So  he  permits  them  to  come  to  his  desk 
the  first  thing  each  morning  for  definite  appointments 
later  in  the  day.  In  t-his  way  he  feels  a  more  satisfactory 
schedule  is  arranged  with  least  loss  of  time.  Of  course, 
in  an  emergency  the  interview  is  granted  immediately. 
In  the  ease  of  important  conferences,  where  several  men 
are  to  gather,  he  endeavors  to  make  a  balanced  distribu- 
tion of  dates  over  the  week  or  month.  For  instance,  if 
one  conference  is  scheduled  for  Mondaj^  he  dates  the 
next  one  for  Thursday.  Thus  he  saves  his  time  arranging 
it  to  avoid  undue  congestion  and  delay  at  any  period. 

PLAN   16 

A  PLAN  WHICH  SAVES  TIME  WHILE 
WATCHING  PROGRESS 

Time  cannot  he  lengthened,  hut  a  u^hole  lot  of  it  can  be 
saved  hy  curtailing  routine  detail — and  that's  what  two 
New  York  partners  did.  Thdr  plan  may  be  just  what 
you're  looking  for. 

Two  partners  in  New  York  City  have  worked  out  a 
plan  of  "progress  charts"  for  .saving  their  time  in 
supervising  the  work.  These  charts  are  attached  to  the 
office  wall  and  are  enclosed  in  a  frame  with  a  glass  door 
to  protect  them.  Each  one  is  divided  into  perpendicular 
sections  to  indicate  months  so  that  every  step  in  any 
large  task  may  be  closely  watched  without  spending 
time  on  a  lot  of  details.  Thus  the  partners  keep  an 
accurate  running  record  of  all  work  under  way  or  in 
immediate  prospect. 

One  chart  covers  contracts  which  have  been  signed 
and  on  which  work  has  been  started.  It  deals  with 
tasks  actually  in  progress  in  the  office,  and  follows  them 
until  the  final  plans  are  approved.  The  other  chart  has 
to  do  with  work  that  is  under  way  in  the  field,  until  it 


PLAN    SEVENTEEN 27 

is  finally  accepted  and  turned  over  to  the  customer.  In 
the  column  at  the  left  of  each  sheet  is  written  the  name 
of  each  customer  and  the  job  number.  By  means  of 
tacks  with  heads  of  various  colors,  the  status  of  each 
contract  is  shown  according  to  the  following  schedule: 

1.  A  plaid  tack  records  the  date  the  order  was  placed. 

2.  A  yellow  tack  records  the  date  the  preliminary 
drawings  passed  from  the  drafting  to  the  estimating 
department. 

3.  A  white  tack  shows  when  the  preliminary  drawings 
were  submitted  to  the  owner. 

4.  A  black  and  white  tack  indicates  that  the  final 
drawings  have  been  passed  to  the  estimating  department. 

5.  A  red  and  white  tack  indicates  when  the  final 
drawings  were  approved  by  the  owner. 

6.  A  green  tack  shows  the  time  the  field  work  started. 

7.  A  red  tack  indicates  when  the  job  should  be 
finished. 

The  charts  have  been  found  of  unusual  value  in  watch- 
ing special  orders  requiring  close  individual  attention. 

PLAN   17 
THIS  PLAN  SAVED  MANY  HOURS 

And  it  keeps  this  man's  bvsiness  "up  to  snuff,"  too.  lie 
does  not  try  to  estimate  all  the  time  he  saves,  but  he's 
amazed  at  what  he  does  accomplish.  No  matter  whether 
yo7ir  business  is  small  or  large  the  chances  are  you'll  find 
some  way  to  apply  his  idea  profitably. 

"I  get  a  summarized  daily  report  of  the  previous  day's 
work  in  every  section  of  my  business,"  says  an  eastern 
man,  "and  in  half  an  hour  I  know  what  progress  is 
being  made  without  moving  from  my  desk. 

"But  that  is  not  all.  In  addition  to  this  method 
of  quickly  glimpsing  important  details,  I  have  a  prac- 


28 PLAN  EIGHTEEN 

tical  plan  for  saving  time.  I  call  the  department  heads 
into  a  short  conference  every  day  right  after  reading 
the  report.  At  this  meeting  I  take  up  any  question 
arising  from  my  survey  of  the  previous  day's  work. 
Perhaps  some  danger  sign  is  in  evidence  and  the  confer- 
ence enables  me  to  get  the  suggestions  of  my  assistants 
immediately.  Often  a  remedy  is  found  at  once  and 
applied  to  some  weak  point  that  may  have  developed 
unexpectedly.  Thus  I  am  saved  the  loss  of  time  that 
often  accompanies  worry  over  details  and  through  a  year 
it  saves  me  thousands  of  dollars." 

PLAN  18 

A  PLAN  FOR  QUICKLY  ANSWERING:  "WHERE'S 
THAT  INFORMATION.?" 

A  sim/ple  rule  developed  a  valuable  method  for  keeping  up 
with  the  clock  ticks  in  this  office. 

"Put  everything  on  paper" — from  a  telephone  con- 
versation to  a  selling  talk — is  a  general  rule  that  cuts 
time  losses  for  executives  in  one  concern.  All  important 
facts  so  recorded  are  promptly  put  away  in  this  firm's 
subject  file,  which  is  made  up  of  large  envelops,  12  by  18 
inches.  In  each  envelop  will  be  found  all  the  informa- 
tion available  on  any  one  subject.  One  general  follow- 
up  file  is  used  by  the  whole  force,  so  that  if  the  man  who 
has  left  the  notation  is  away,  someone  else  can  handle  the 
situation. 

"When  either  the  president  or  the  vice-president  is  busy 
on  a  special  proposition,  the  envelop  with  the  informa- 
tion on  the  subject  in  hand,  and  the  later  information 
which  is  especially  gathered  all  over  the  office,  are  quickly 
brought  together.  In  going  after  an  exclusive  agency 
for  the  million-dollar  output  of  a  factory  recently,  the 


PLAN    NINETEEN 29 

vice-president  found  in  the  proper  envelop  records  of 
conversations  and  sales  arguments  other  men  had  used 
on  the  same  effort  years  before. 

Strict  observance  of  the  rule  and  accurate  filing  of  the 
information  has  eliminated  for  this  firm  the  haphazard 
"hurry  and  scurry"  in  finding  facts,  which  prevails  in 
many  offices  all  over  the  country, 

PLAN   19 
"THIS  PLAN  IMPROVED  MY  MEMORY  50%" 

Nearly  all  of  us  can  remember  wasting  time  searching 
for  information  which  we  "knew  we  had  seen  somewhere." 
Here's  a  plan  to  make" somewhere"  right  beside  your  desk. 

A  Los  Angeles  merchant  whose  duties  require  him  to 
meet  a  large  number  of  business  men  realized  that  he 
wasted  considerable  time  simply  because  he  could  not 
remember  names  and  faces.  Frequently  he  found  him- 
self in  extremely  embarrassing  situations.  He  sought  a 
remedy  and  ultimately  worked  out  a  practical  plan  which 
is  helpful  in  two  ways.  It  enables  him  to  recall  men  he 
had  met  and  at  the  same  time  it  has  added  many  valuable 
names  to  his  mailing  list. 

He  uses  a  small  card  file  with  an  alphabetical  index. 
The  cards  are  214  hy  ^  inches  in  size  and  he  always  carries 
a  supply  of  them  in  his  pocket.  Whenever  he  meets  a 
person  whose  name  it  is  important  for  him  to  remember, 
whether  in  or  out  of  the  office,  he  takes  the  first  opportu- 
nity to  enter  it  on  one  of  these  blanks.  When  pos.sible, 
he  adds  the  address,  business,  or  profession,  and  any 
other  information  he  can  get.  If  an  exchange  of  cards 
takes  place  he  writes  the  details  on  the  back  of  the  one 
given  him. 

Each  night,  before  leaving  the  office,  he  goes  over 
each  card  carefully,  visualizing  the  person,  spelling  out 


30  PLAN   TWENTY 


the  name,  and  reviewing  the  other  information  he  has 
jotted  down.  He  then  files  each  one  under  its  proper 
letter. 

Every  week  or  so,  as  he  has  time,  he  goes  over  once 
more  all  the  new  cards  in  his  file  in  order  to  fully  impress 
the  names  on  his  memory.  At  the  same  time,  he  passes 
judgment  on  their  value.  Now  and  then  he  throws  out 
an  entry  which  he  feels  unnecessarily  takes  up  space.  In 
this  way  he  keeps  the  file  fresh  and  prevents  useless  over- 
crowding. Studying  over  these  items,  however,  has 
helped  him  overcome  his  weakness  for  remembering,  so 
they  have  been  worth  collecting. 

Some  names  are  of  special  value  to  him  in  his  work, 
and,  where  in  the  usual  routine  they  would  have  been 
lost  sight  of  or  treated  in  a  purely  mechanical  way,  this 
method  makes  them  of  permanent  record.  The  list  thus 
secured  is  the  most  important  one  he  has  because,  in 
writing  or  interviewing  these  men,  he  knows  the  line  of 
attack  which  will  be  most  effective  with  each  individual. 

This  executive  states  also :  ' '  The  plan  not  only  enables 
me  to  call  practically  everyone  by  name  at  the  second 
meeting,  but  it  has  also  improved  my  memory 
about  50%." 

PLAN  20 

A  BUZZER  PLAN 

This  plan  is  surely  simple  enovgh — and,  since  it  accom- 
plishes its  task,  what  more  could  we  ash  ? 

One  man  who  has  many  office  callers,  has,  in  the  first 
place,  set  aside  two  hours  in  the  forenoon  to  see  salesmen 
and  tries  his  best  to  see  all  who  come.  He  will  not  see 
them  at  any  other  hours,  however. 

His  next  measure  he  adapted  from  his  physician's 
office  and  it  consists  of  a  buzzer  under  a  rug  at  the  outer 


PLAN   TWENTY-ONE 


31 


TABULATION  CF  BIDS 

«.TP»m           2»4   yello,   pine-lOaOM.   Ft. 

BIDDER 

PLANT  LOCATED 
AT 

ON 
(RAILWAY) 

PRICE 

UNIT 

F.O.B. 

START 
DELIVERY 

SCHEDULE  TO 
COMPLETE 
DELIVERY 

Randall  4  Co. 

St.   Louis 

C.  B.  &  Q. 

22.50 

U.    Ft. 

Dallverec! 

At  once 

1  car  a  day 

i  car  a  day 

Clark  Bros. 

Kansas  City 

Santa  Fe 

22.25 

- 

Delivsred 

2  «eek3 
complete 

2  ears  a  day 

Hayes  A  Earner 

St.   Louis 

C,   B.  4  Q. 

19.75 

" 

St.  Louis 

At  onca 

2,544  feet 
daily 

Figure  1,:  Do  any  of  your  employees  waste  time  in  making  up 
their  minds  where  to  buy  certain  materials  or  supplies?  If  they 
do.  Plan  SI  mil  show  them  how  one  business  man  makes  quick 
decisions  by  arranging  all  bids  and  price  quotations  on  forms  like 
the  above.     He  found  this  plan  saved  him  a  lot  of  valuable  time. 

door  of  his  office.  The  salesman  in  conversation  with 
him  heard  the  buzzer  when  he  himself  entered — he  knows 
that  stepping  on  the  rug  caused  it.  He  knows  also  that 
it  is  the  hour  for  salesmen ;  and,  as  a  rule,  a  caller  will 
hurry  along  when  he  hears  the  buzzer  two  or  three  times 
as  people  enter  or  leave  the  office.  If  he  fails  to  show 
such  consideration,  the  fact  that  the  buzzer  has  indi- 
cated an  accumulating  number  of  salesmen  in  waiting 
offers  an  excuse  for  the  architect  to  suggest  to  the  caller 
that  others  are  waiting. 

PLAN  21 
A  SHORT  CUT  PLAN  FOR  COMPARING  FIGURES 

The  simplest  arrangement  of  data  often  is  invaluable  in 
saving  time  in  busiiiess.  Here's  a  plan  that  has  helped 
one  man  on  this  very  point. 

Grouping  important  facts  for  comparison  is  the  plan 
developed  by  one  executive  for  saving  time  in  making 
and  checking  his  decisions.     His  contracts  for  material 


32 PLAN  TWENTY-TWO 

often  run  into  considerable  sums  and  he  usually  asks 
for  prices  from  as  many  as  12  bidders.  In  letting  the 
contracts  he  considers  price,  the  f.  o.  b.  point,  and  date 
of  delivery.  In  addition  he  often  splits  an  order  among 
bidders  when  the  low  firm  cannot  furnish  the  entire 
quantity. 

He  quickly  visualizes  all  this  information  by  having 
data  comprising  each  proposal  placed  before  him  on  one 
sheet.  This  form  is  called  the  "tabulation  of  bids"  and 
is  illustrated  in  Figure  4.  It  covers  all  the  essential  re- 
quirements for  any  kind  of  material  he  may  have  to  buy. 
When  the  facts  as  indicated  have  been  entered  it  takes 
him  but  a  moment  to  analyze  the  proposition  and  make 
his  decision. 

PLAN  22 

HERE'S  AN  EFFECTIVE  "ONE-IVIAN  BUSINESS" 
TIME  SAVER 

But  just  because  it  was  originated  Jor  a  one-man  business 
is  no  reason  tchy  any  man,  no  matter  how  large  his  con- 
cern, can't  adapt  at  least  some  of  it  to  save  his  individual 
time. 

"I  keep  a  complete  set  of  books — but  I  never  spend 
much  time  at  them,"  said  one  business  man.  He  drew 
from  one  of  the  upper  drawers  of  his  desk  an  ordinary 
page-a-day  diary  and  a  small  file  box  containing  a  num- 
ber of  3  by  5  cards. 

"Here  are  my  'books',''  lie  continued,  displaying 
these  two  items.  "This  diary  is  what  I  call  my  day 
book.  The  box  contains  my  time  sheets  and  ledger. 
When  I  started  out  several  years  ago  I  found  that  every 
minute  a  man  takes  for  bookkeeping  usually  cuts  into 
his  income,  for  it  reduces  his  productive  hours.  But  I 
always  have  wanted  to  know  just  where  my  affairs  stand 


PLAN  TWENTY-TWO  33 


at  any  time.  So  as  a  result  I  began  to  experiment,  and 
finally  worked  out  this  method." 

The  engineer  happens  to  have  an  office  comprising  in 
all  perhaps  not  more  than  two  hundred  square  feet.  His 
only  employee  is  a  stenographer.  His  time  is  valuable 
because  he  draws  his  profit  from  the  work  he  personally 
turns  out. 

There  are  hundreds  of  offices  of  about  this  size  and 
character,  and  for  that  reason  the  unusually  interesting 
and  helpful  set  of  records  which  this  business  man  has 
developed  for  his  work  will  probably  prove  of  general 
interest. 

"I  inherited  the  diary-day-book  idea  from  my  father, 
who  was  a  la\A-yer,"  he  says.  "It  affords,  in  my  opinion, 
a  much  ea.sier  way  to  put  down  entries  than  the  formally 
ruled  day  book,  and  what's  more  to  the  point,  it  encour- 
ages me  to  make  more  complete  comments,  for  I  have 
an  entire  page  of  the  book  to  use  daily.  This  complete- 
ness of  my  book  of  original  entry  has  been  of  value  to  me 
in  court  on  several  occasions." 

He  opened  it,  displaying  a  page  with  several  entries 
showing  receipts  and  disbursements.  On  the  margin 
he  had  printed  with  a  rubber  stamp  all  the  hours  from 
eight  in  the  morning  to  sis  at  night. 

"1  seldom  get  down  before  8  o'clock  or  stay  after  6,  you 
see,"  he  continued.  ''When  I  start  on  a  job  I  scratch 
my  pen  through  the  hour  of  starting — that's  what  these 
rubber-stamp  figTires  are  for.  Then  I  write  in,  alongside, 
the  name  of  the  job.  By  keeping  this  upon  every  job 
I  taelde  I  have  a  complete  record  on  my  time.  I  even 
mark  the  time  I  take  for  lunch.  That  isn  't  essential,  of 
course,  but  I  do  it  because  it  gives  me  an  absolute  item- 
ized account  of  my  working  day." 

In  this  man's  card  index,  which  is  alphabetically  ar- 
ranged, the  individual- job  time  cards  are  filed  with  the 


34 PLAN   TWENTY-THREE 

ledger  cards — the  ledger  aecormt  first,  and  the  time  card 
whose  entries  are  charged  under  that  account  behind  it. 

He  posts  his  time  from  the  day  book  to  a  time  card. 
He  totals  these  cards  weekly,  and  multiplies  the  totals 
by  the  hour  rate  which  he  charges.  This  charge  he  places 
against  the  customer  on  the  ledger  card.  This  gives  him 
an  accurate  charge  against  each  job. 

Ledger  entries  have  to  be  made  only  at  the  first  of 
each  month.  Statements  go  out  at  the  same  time.  Since 
the  time  cards  are  already  in  the  file  box  behind  the 
ledger  cards,  it  is  a  simple  job  to  make  the  entries.  This 
man  keeps  one  ledger  account  here  for  general  expense, 
and  his  experience  shows  that  most  of  the  day-book 
entries  go  into  it,  unless  these  entries  can  be  charged 
to  specific  jobs.  He  says  that  his  system  has  been  worth 
hundreds  of  dollars  to  him. 

PLAN  23 

HERE  A  SHUPLE  INDEX  REDUCED  THE  DAILY 
ROUTINE  ONE  HALF 

The  day's  routine  cut  in  half  and  sales  greatly  increased 
is  the  proud  record  of  the  simple  idea  which  is  here  de- 
scribed by  the  man  who  uses  it. 

Just  a  little  index,  so  simple  as  to  miss  casual  obser- 
vation, has  reduced  by  half  the  time  spent  by  the  man- 
ager of  one  company  in  transacting  necessary  business 
over  the  telephone. 

One  of  his  duties  is  to  keep  in  touch  with  and  foUow 
up  the  pending  deals  of  his  street  salesmen.  While  the 
salesmen  are  out  of  the  office,  prospects  often  call  over 
the  telephone  and  the  manager  is  expected  to  talk  to 
them.  At  first  he  lost  some  possible  sales  because  he  did 
not  know  what  kind  of  stock  the  salesmen  had  offered 
or  the  prices  quoted.    "While  he  tried  to  get  the  facts 


PLAN  TWENTY-FOUR 35 

over  the  wire  the  buyer  has  sometimes  lost  interest  and 
patience  and  once  in  a  while  even  declined  to  order. 

When  that  had  happened  several  times  the  manager 
did  some  figuring  and  worked  out  a  plan  not  only  to  save 
time  but  actual  orders  as  well.  On  his  desk,  near  the 
telephone,  he  has  placed  a  small  card  index  of  every  cus- 
tomer and  prospect  called  on  by  his  salesmen.  In  it  is 
a  record  of  every  proposal  made  up  to  quitting  time  the 
day  before.    The  cards  are  arranged  alphabetically. 

When  a  prospect  or  buyer  calls  on  the  telephone  now, 
the  manager  reaches  for  his  card.  With  all  necessary 
information  obtainable  at  a  glance,  he  is  ready  to  close 
the  sale,  without  fumbling  over  the  scattered  or  imper- 
fect reports  and  without  sparring  for  time  until  he  can 
coax  the  buyer  to  tell  him  what  proposition  the  sales- 
man has  made.  By  the  use  of  this  little  index,  he  not 
only  has  reduced  the  time  spent  on  telephone  orders  by 
half,  but  has  doubled  his  working  time  and  closed  a 
greater  percentage  of  orders. 

PLAN  24 

A  PLAN  WFICH  STRETCHES  THE  MINUTES 

Expensive  experietice  pointed  out  to  this  man  a  neio  way 
to  speed  vp  his  work — and  these  days  of  "high  pressure" 
in  business  make  his  plan  well  worth  while. 

''In  saving  the  minutes,"  relates  an  executive,  "I  have 
discovered  that  I  cannot  let  the  pendulum  swing  too  far 
toward  the  side  of  constant  effort.  In  my  ease,  there  w^as 
reaction  and  I  lost  valuable  minutes  through  tiring 
quickly.  In  other  words,  I  proved  by  results  that  my 
time  actually  went  farther  when  I  took  momentary  re- 
laxations during  the  day. 

"This  plan  came  to  me  at  a  time  when  I  thought  the 
work  was  'getting  me.'    Trifles  irritated  me.    I  put  in 


36 PLAN   TWENTY-FIVE 

long  hours  and  hard  work.  Under  the  strain  I  began 
taking  a  few  minutes  to  relax  whenever  I  felt  the  need. 
I  get  up  and  walk  about  the  office ;  talk  with  some  of  the 
men;  raise  a  window,  straighten  up,  breathe  the  fresh 
air,  and  rest  my  eyes  on  distant  objects;  or  go  and  get 
a  drink  of  water.  It  is  surprising  how  much  more  I 
accomplish  than  formerly," 

PLAN  25 

FOR  USE  WHEN  DESPERATE  MEASURES  ARE 
NECESSARY 

Saving  moments  jvhich  someone  is  trying  to  take  away 
without  good  reason  is  at  times  rather  difficult.  Here's 
a  plan  that  viay  help  when  desperate  -measures  are  needed. 

This  i^lan  is  used  by  an  executive  with  a  manufactur- 
ing compan}'.  He  sees  an  unusual  number  of  callers,  yet 
does  a  surprising  amount  of  other  work,  too.  His  chief 
plan  for  bringing  an  unprofitable  interview  to  a  close 
is  first  to  change  the  subject  abruptly.  For  example,  if 
the  weather  is  blustering,  he  will  say,  as  if  not  in  the 
least  moved  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  salesman  for  his 
goods,  *'It  is  pretty  cold  out,  isn't  it?  Is  it  getting 
colder?" 

For  a  moment,  the  salesman  is  off  his  guard.  He 
answers  the  question,  of  course,  and  in  doing  so,  brings 
the  conversation  about  his  goods  to  an  end,  for  the  execu- 
tive arises  immediately  and  asks  him  for  his  card,  sug- 
gesting that  if  at  any  time  his  company  becomes  inter- 
ested, he  will  communicate  with  the  house  the  salesman 
represents. 

AVhile  the  plan  amounts  to  a  flat  dismissal,  this  execu- 
tive has  found  it  affords  a  pleasanter  parting  than  if 
he  were  forced  to  insist  on  being  disinterested  and  too 
busy  to  talk  to  the  salesman. 


PLAN   TWENTY-SIX 


37 


This  wall  calendar  is  easily  kept  up  to  date  and  brings  all  engage- 
ments automatically  to  attention.  Most  space  is  devoted  to  the 
current  month,  but  a  certain  amount  of  space  is  le  t  so  that  the 
entire  year  can  be  taken  care  of.  The  board  is  adjusted  at  the 
end  of  each  month  by  an  office  worker. 


PLAN  26 

THIS  PLAN  CONVERTED  WASTED  TIME 
INTO  MONEY 

The  man  who  uses  this  plan  admits  that  he  transferred  the 
idea  from  another  office  to  his  own,  which  but  goes  to  illus- 
trote  one  of  the  reasons  for  publishing  this  book:  the  prac- 
tieabilify  of  using  the  other  mans  tested  methods. 

How  to  keep  track  of  ever-increasing  detail  was  the 
question  which  recently  confronted  the  secretary  of  a 
commercial  association.  There  are  6  trade  departments, 
11  standing  committees,  as  well  as  15  dealers'  associa- 
tions with  which  his  own  association  works.  In  addition, 
there  are  three  other  national  organizations  of  which 
the  association  is  a  member;  the  secretary  himself  has 
many  meetings  to  attend,  conferences  to  arrange,  and 
details  to  watch.  From  this  it  is  apparent  that  accurate 
records  must  be  kept. 


479  0 '] 


38 PLAN   TWENTY-SIX ^ 

Several  different  methods  had  formerly  been  used  for 
this  purpose,  but  all  had  the  fault  of  burying  the  records 
so  that  they  were  accessible  as  a  rule  to  only  one  person, 
and  they  were  seldom  up  to  date. 

The  planning  board  used  in  various  establishments  at 
last  gave  the  secretary  an  idea:  a  wall  calendar  would 
be  simple  and  easily  read;  it  would  not  be  so  large  as 
to  take  up  too  much  space;  and  it  would  provide  for 
meetings  several  months  in  advance. 

A  board  33  inches  by  38  inches  in  size  (see  Figure  5) 
was  finally  adopted  —  a  size  just  right  to  fit  into  the 
sash  of  an  opaque  glass  window  of  an  office  partition. 
Mounted  on  this  board  was  heavy  "detail"  drawing 
paper.  The  available  space,  after  leaving  a  narrow 
margin  all  round,  was  ruled  vertically  into  7  columns, 
and  horizontally  into  16  spaces. 

The  columns  represent  months.  The  first  three  on  the 
left  represent  the  current  month,  the  next  two,  the  fol- 
lowdng  month,  and  the  sixth,  the  second  month  ahead. 
The  last  column  is  used  for  the  remaining  months  of  the 
twelve. 

The  spaces  represent  divisions  of  each  month.  Each 
group  of  four  represents  approximately  a  quarter  of  a 
month,  the  division  being  1-7,  8-15,  16-23,  24-31.  The 
month  is  so  divided  as  to  direct  attention  quickly  to  the 
portion  of  it  in  which  any  meeting  is  held. 

The  meetings  are  shown  by  means  of  removable  cards 
of  different  colors.  These  cards  are  4  inches  by  2  inches 
in  size.  They  are  made  of  heavy  cardboard  with  a 
glazed  surface,  so  that  they  are  not  easily  soiled. 

The  color  scheme  is  as  follows : 

Trade  Departments   Orange 

Executive  Committee Red 

Standing  Committees  Blue 


PLAN   TWENTY-SIX 39 

Cards  are  prepared  on  the  typewriter.  The  informa- 
tiou  shown  is  listed  below : 

1.  The  name  of  the  committee,  department,  and  their 
details. 

2.  The  meeting  date — day  of  the  week  and  month 

3.  The  place  of  the  meeting  —  city,  name  of  hotel, 
and  room 

4.  The  name  of  the  chairman,  subjects  to  be  con- 
sidered, or  other  important  information. 

At  the  end  of  each  month  the  cards  are  shifted  to  the 
spaces  to  the  left  so  that  those  which  were  in  the  spaces 
for  the  following  month  appear  in  the  current  month. 
Designation  cards  for  the  various  months  are  provided. 
These  also  are  readily  shifted. 

The  wall  calendar  is  located  in  a  conspicuous  place, 
where  it  is  available  for  inspection  by  any  employee. 
The  care  of  the  calendar  is  left  to  the  secretary 's  stenog- 
rapher, who  is  closely  in  touch  with  all  meetings  and 
who  makes  all  changes  that  are  required. 

"Experience  has  shown  that  it  is  easily  kept  up  to 
date,"  says  the  secretary,  "oversight  is  quickly  detected, 
and  it  has  proved  itself  to  be  a  most  valuable  time  saver 
for  all  who  use  it. ' ' 

Another  adaptation  of  the  planning  board  which  this 
secretary  has  used  with  great  success  is  for  the  super- 
vision of  topics  under  investigation.  The  association  is 
national  in  its  membership,  and  many  of  the  subjects 
considered  have  to  be  handled  by  correspondence. 

Perhaps  the  members  are  asked  to  ballot  on  an  impor- 
tant outline  of  policy.  "Wlien  were  the  ballots  sent  out  ? 
When  must  they  be  returned?  Have  the  members  re- 
ceived a  second  letter  on  the  subject?  What  is  the  result 
so  far  ?  How  long  before  the  question  must  be  fully  and 
finally  decided? 


40 PLAN  TWENTY-SEVEN 

The  secretary  desires  such  information  at  a  moment's 
notice.  Here  again  a  planning  board  has  been  the  solu- 
tion. It  is  similar  in  construction  to  the  wall  calendar. 
The  left-hand  column  is  used  to  indicate  the  "original 
action."  Each  card  in  the  column  shows  the  subject 
under  consideration,  when  it  was  submitted  and  by 
whom,  and  the  file  number  of  the  papers  connected  with 
the  subject. 

The  next  two  columns  are  used  for  subsequent  action. 
A  card  of  one  color  indicates  that  attention  is  required 
on  a  certain  date.  A  card  of  another  color  signifies  a 
preliminary  compilation  of  results.  The  fourth  column 
is  used  for  cards  which  show  a  final  compilation  and  the 
disposition  made.  In  brief,  these  are  the  fundamentals 
of  the  planboard  in  operation. 

The  effectiveness  of  these  boards  is  chiefly  due  to  the 
simplicity  of  their  operation.  A  too  elaborate  scheme 
would  fail,  while  these  simple  devices  are  handy  tools. 

PLAN  27 

A  "FIEST-AID-TO-THE-MEMORY"  PLAN 

This  plan  is  somewhat  like  Plan  7.  It  is  simple,  and 
yet  the  man  who  uses  it  says  that  it  almost  amounts  to  an 
automatic  memory  for  him,  which  is  one  reason  for  giving 
it  a  moment's  attention. 

A  Cincinnati  business  man  who  is  continually  reading 
about  or  devising  new  plans,  jots  down  immediately 
those  that  he  wants  to  try  out.  He  alwaj^s  carries  in  his 
pocket  a  few  8I/2  by  11  inch  sheets  of  ordinary  yellow 
manila  paper  folded  twice,  making  a  pad  4I/2  by  5^ 
inches.  On  this  he  notes  the  various  ideas  that  come 
to  him  out  of  hours. 

Each  morning  he  cuts  these  notes  apart  and  files  the 
slips  in  a  leather  book  tabbed  for  the  various  men  and 


PLAN   TWENTY-EIGHT 41 

departments  he  confers  with.  In  this  "guide  book"  he 
is  gradually  boiling  down  important  facts  about  his 
business.  Here  he  also  keeps  his  monthly  reports  and 
quotas.  The  book  can  be  examined  by  department  heads, 
provided  it  is  not  taken  away  from  his  desk.  Permis- 
sion must  be  obtained  to  take  it  away. 

He  says:  "My  time  is  no  longer  wasted  in  hunting 
through  publications  for  ideas  I  thought  I  saw  in  them, 
or  in  trying  to  recall  some  idea  of  my  own.  It  gives 
me  what  amounts  to  an  automatic  memory.'* 

PLAN  28 

"THIS  PLAN  ENABLED  ME  TO  INCREASE  MY 
DOLLARS-AND-CENTS  VALUE  25%" 

Here's  one  answer  to  that  perplexing  question:  "How 
can  I  get  more  work  done?"  The  plan  gives  the  man 
who  uses  it  an  effective  check-up,  too,  in  addition  to  saving 
a  lot  of  his  time. 

"Who  does  not  come  down  every  morning  filled  with 
enthusiasm  and  a  fresh  determination  to  use  some  of 
the  plans  that  have  gathered  in  his  mind?"  suggests  an 
eastern  executive.  "But  somehow,  in  the  rush  of  busi- 
ness, they  slip  away,  and  night  finds  that  we  haven't 
gotten  around  to  many  of  them. 

"I've  hit  upon  a  scheme  that  has  solved  the  problem 
for  me ;  definite  plans  I  want  to  incorporate  in  my  daily 
work  are  written  on  3  by  5  cards  and  dropped  into  my 
desk  drawer.  "When  the  day  is  finished,  I  go  over  the 
cards  and  check  myself  up  by  asking,  'Did  I  do  iliis 
today?'  or  'Where  did  I  neglect  to  make  the  most  of  this 
method?' 

""WHien  an  idea  has  been  made  a  part  of  ray  daily 
routine,  it  is  transferred  to  an  'inactive'  file.  I  go  over 
these  inactive  cards  only  once  or  twice  a  month. 


42 PLAN  TWENTY-NINE 

"With  never  more  than  10  or  15  cards  in  my  daily 
'personal  efficiency  test'  "file,  this  scheme  never  became 
a  hardship,  but  it  has  enabled  me  to  increase  my  dollars- 
and-eents  value  to  our  business  I  should  say  at  least 
25%  ;  and  it  has  meant  a  saving  of  minutes  which,  though 
difficult  to  compute  definitely,  has:  made  itself  more  than 
noticeable  to  me  since  I  began  the  plan. ' ' 

PLAN  29 
TIME  SAVED  WITHOUT  A  PENNY  OF  EXPENSE 

It  is  easy  to  try  this  plan,  that  of  a  Pennsylvania  business 
man  who  utilized  an  old  idea  and  thereby  saved  an  amazing 
amount  of  time. 

"Tell  it  in  125  words— and  tell  it  all.  Don't  hold 
back  anything.  Know  what  you  want  to  say  before  you 
start  to  tell  it.  When  a  decision  is  once  made  let  it 
stand." 

A  Pennsylvania  business  man  issued  these  terse  in- 
structions to  his  subordinates  to  govern  them  in  their  in- 
terview with  him  and  thus  save  his  time,  as  well  as  theirs. 
The  plan  occurred  to  him  after  reading  the  creed  of  the 
newspaper  man  who  wrote  that  the  story  of  The  Crea- 
tion had  been  told  in  500  words.  He  decided  that  greater 
brevity  was  possible  in  office  routine  and  found  he  was 
right,  for  the  idea — eccentric  as  it  may  seem — worked. 

The  men  caught  the  valuable  "do- more-talk-less" 
spirit  of  their  chief.  They  made  every  effort  to  have 
their  "story"  boiled  down  sufficiently  before  approach- 
ing him  on  any  subject.  As  a  result  annoying,  long- 
drawn-out  interruptions  of  his  time  were  done  away 
with.  Interviews  became  short  and  crisp  and  an  actual 
pleasure  to  the  busy  head  of  the  concern. 

The  minutes  thus  saved  amazed  him.  Furthermore, 
these  instructions  developed  a  spirit  of  frankness  and 


PLAN  THIRTY  43 


directness  among  the  men  in  their  talks  with  him.  De- 
partment heads  and  foremen  carried  the  example  to  the 
men  under  them  and  in  a  short  time  the  entire  business 
showed  the  time-saving  effects  of  the  new  spirit. 

PLAN  30 
THIS  PLAN  SAVED  A  DOLLAR  A  DAY 

To  be  sure  it  teas  a  simple  enough  change  to  make,  but  now 
ifs  earning  a  dollar  a  day.  You  may  not  be  able  to  use 
it  just  as  described,  but  who  merely  wants  to  copy  anyway? 

"A  simple  rearrangement  of  my  office  has  enabled  me 
to  save  a  dollar  a  day  in  time,"  declares  one  business 
man.  "My  duties  necessitate  my  going  to  the  desk  of  a 
subordinate  several  times  a  day  and  formerly  I  had  to 
go  in  a  roundabout  way. 

''When  this  needless  expenditure  of  time  and  effort 
came  to  light  I  had  a  door  cut  in  the  partition  on  the 
opposite  side  of  my  office  and  also  had  the  desk  of  the 
subordinate  moved  from  the  far  end  of  his  space  to  a 
convenient  location  near  the  new  door. 

''Here  was  a  betterment  that  should,  of  course,  have 
been  self-evident,  but  it  was  not  noticed  till  a  clerk,  who 
sensed  my  hurry  back  and  forth,  suggested  the  change. 
We  discovered  that  I  was  actually  walking  needlessly 
half  a  mile  a  day  in  handling  this  one  duty.  In  definite 
figures,  estimating  that  my  time  is  worth  $2  a  mile 
on  the  basis  of  walking  three  miles  an  hour,  I  am  cutting 
out  a  loss  of  a  dollar's  worth  of  time  a  day. 

"This  change  of  itself  has  not  only  been  of  value  for 
my  daily  work,  but  has  made  me  more  alert  in  watching 
for  other  useless  motions  which  I  am  eliminating  from 
time  to  time.  I  have  thus  actually  proved  the  value  of 
my  method  to  my  own  satisfaction.'* 


44 FLAN   THIRTY-ONE 

PLAN  31 

HOW  SIMPLY  CHANGING  NUMBERS 
"TURNED  THE  TRICK" 

It's  sometimes  easy,  xchen  seeking  the  "one  best  way,"  to 
overlook  the  simple,  and  frequently  most  effective,  method. 
This  plan  is  interesting  if  it  but  shoivs  how  much  can 
often  be  accomplished  by  an  almost  insignificant  change 
in  a  system. 

A  southern  business  man,  who  buys  many  supplies  of 
different  kinds,  found  his  manufacturers'  catalog  file  so 
complex  as  to  be  responsible  for  losing  half  an  hour  or 
more  of  his  time  daily. 

Each  catalog  was  given  a  number  and  filed  numeri- 
cally. A  cross-index  was  kept,  classifying  the  catalogs 
according  to  the  different  articles  each  of  tliem  covered. 

At  first,  while  the  catalogs  were  few  in  number,  the 
file  worked  well.  It  was  easy  to  refer  to  any  of  them  by 
either  the  manufacturers'  names  or  the  kind  of  article 
to  be  purchased.  As  the  quantity  of  books  to  be  filed 
increased,  however,  the  inconvenience  of  the  arrangement 
appeared.  The  catalogs  were  received  at  different  times, 
of  course;  and  because  they  were  filed  in  numerical 
order,  those  listing  any  one  article  were  widely  separated 
in  the  file.  Therefore,  unless  the  buyer  foresaw  his 
need,  or  had  plenty  of  time,  or  asked  for  the  information 
desired  an  hour  or  more  beforehand,  it  was  often  im- 
possible to  obtain  specific  information  quickly. 

The  loss  of  time  was  so  great  that  the  owner  cast 
about  for  a  new  filing  system,  but  soon  discovered  that  a 
simple  change  of  numbering  would  do  away  with  the 
whole  difficulty.  He  gave  a  separate  number  of  a  con- 
secutive series  to  each  group  of  articles.  For  example, 
number  one  was  given  to  explosives. 

Catalogs  of  the  various  groups  were  also  given  an  addi- 
tional number  of  a  consecutive  series  for  each  individual 


PLAN   THIRTY-TWO 


45 


o 

THE  PRINTING  MAGAZINE 

DATE  OF 
ISSUE 
19ii 

READ 

FILED 

PRICE 

cuniNG 

FORM 

LrnERS 

MAILING 
LISTS 

DEPARTMENT 
ORGANIZATION 

CUIM 
STORES 

AGENCY 
SERVICE 

TYPOGRAPHY 

PAPER 

SALESMEN 

m 

'/9 

'/9 

/y 

3a- 

J 

1  1^ 

5 

'in 

'I'l 

>ln 

r 

J 

/3- 

7 

l/XI 

'/ZS 

IMS 

/^r 

? 

3 

1  t 

S 

/  s- 

'/Z% 

a/' 

a// 

7 

3 

-i^ 

5" 

19 

a/y 

2lf 

a/? 

3 

5 

II 

7 

^ 

/  3 

3-/" 

i/'.^ 

2/'3 

/  6 

3 

5 

3. 

H- 

Zll« 

a/a/ 

2/2i. 

/5 

i3 

9 

%/:i5 

3l3c 

3/jO 

7 

¥r 

Jf 

<*3 

L — — 

1— , 

L . 

1 ' 

' 

1 ' 

-=. 

1 

1        ■ 

1 

Figure  6:  When  casting  about  for  neio  ideas  to  loork  out  in  your 
bttsiness,  have  you  ever  come  to  a  standstill  and  said  to  yourself, 
"I  read  something  along  the  same  lines  not  more  than  a  month  ago, 
hut  I  cant  figure  out  where' '?  Well,  the  executive  mentioned  in 
Plan  32  worked  out  this  ever-ready  index  for  just  suck  occasions. 

book.  Thus  the  first  catalog  in  his  file  covering  explo- 
sives would  bear  the  number  1-1,  the  second  catalog,  1-2, 
and  so  on. 

This  arrangement  brought  together  in  his  files  all  the 
catalogs  of  each  of  the  different  groups  of  articles  he  waa 
buying.  At  the  same  time  this  numbering  system  dis- 
tinguished each  particular  manufacturer's  catalog  so  that 
the  buyer  was  not  only  able  to  pick  out  from  his  files  the 
ones  issued  by  each  concern,  but  could  also  select  all  of 
the  catalogs  on  any  one  particular  subject. 


PLAN  32 

THIS  TURNED  OUT  TO  BE  A  VERY 
HANDY  PLAN 

Although  like  Plan  31  in  its  purpose,  this  one  takes  a 
different  tunst  to  save  you  time.  Probably  you'll  be  able  to 
apply  this  idea  in  more  than  one  way. 

"I  find  it  profitable  to  index  the  magazines  and  trade 
journals  I  read  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  new  ideas 


46 PLAN  THIRTY-THREE 

and  a  wider  outlook  on  my  business,"  says  a  western 
business  man.  "My  plan  is  simple  and  effective,  es- 
pecially for  referring  to  any  specific  item  quickly,  and 
at  any  time. 

"I  have  learned  by  careful  tests  just  what  magazines 
contain  subjects  of  practical  value  to  me.  I  go  over  these 
journals  thoroughly  and  read  any  articles  that  appeal  to 
me.  I  have  on  my  desk,  or  carry  with  me  when  needed, 
a  small  note  book  with  sheets  made  up  as  indicated  in 
Figure  6.  The  arrangement  of  this  index  is  such  that 
the  subjects  I  am  interested  in  are  all  included  in  the 
column  headings.  At  the  top  is  the  name  of  the 
publication. 

"One  page  is  given  to  each  magazine.  At  the  left 
I  enter  the  date  of  issue,  and  the  date  I  have  read  and 
filed  the  articles  that  interested  me.  In  the  squares  I 
note  the  page  number.  As  the  magazines  are  filed  by 
months  and  years  it  is  easy  to  refer  to  any  issue.  For 
a  personal  record  of  my  reading  this  has  turned  out 
to  be  a  very  handy  plan. ' ' 

PLAN  33 

THIS  PLAN  TOOK  A  KINK  OUT  OF  THE 
DAY'S  WORK 

Ifs  an  unpretentious  plan,  but  it  accomplished  a  lot  for 
the  man  tcho  originated  it.  You  may  find  in  it  just  the 
time  saver  you  are  looking  jor. 

A  Washington  business  man,  who  uses  the  telephone 
a  great  deal  for  giving  and  receiving  price  quotations, 
noticed  that  he  often  wasted  time  trying  to  remember 
figures  given  to  him  over  the  wire,  because  he  either  had 
lost  the  "piece  of  paper"  he  had  hurriedly  jotted  them 
on  or  had  found  it  inconvenient  at  the  time  to  make  a 
record  of  them.     He  had  depended  on  his  memory  for 


PLAN   THIRTY-FOUR 47 

the  most  part,  because  it  meant  an  awkward  interruption 
in  the  conversation  when  he  stopped  to  enter  details  on 
a  blank  sheet.  Consequently  valuable  data  was  often 
overlooked  and  seriously  missed  later. 

He  eliminated  the  trouble  by  keeping  constantly  on  his 
desk  a  small  looseleaf  pad  of  quotation  blanks  printed 
in  such  form  that  a  quotation  made  over  the  telephone 
or  by  a  sales  representative  calling  on  him  may  be  entered 
with  the  least  effort.  The  book  is  always  handy  as  a 
reminder  to  enter  other  data  or  memoranda  for  safe- 
keeping. At  the  end  of  the  day  his  assistant  files  these 
slips  in  his  personal  file  where  they  can  be  referred  to  at 
any  time.  The  idea  has  been  of  great  value  from  the 
start  in  quickly  taking  care  of  important  details. 

PLAN  34 
THIS  PLAN  "SAVED  HOURS  OF  TIME" 

It's  the  minutes  lost  here  and  the  minutes  lost  there  that 
count  up  so  heavily  on  our  time  schedules.  Here's  how 
one  man  tags  and  utilizes  a  lot  of  the  "loose  minutes." 

' '  I  have  saved  hours  of  time, '  *  writes  a  Michigan  man, 
"by  receiving  every  caller,  whenever  possible,  the  minute 
his  name  is  announced.  I  have  made  a  rigid  rule  that  no 
one  shall  be  kept  waiting,  whether  customer  or  solicitor. 
You  may  ask :    *  How  does  that  save  your  time  ?  * 

*'I  have  proved  by  careful  observation  that  the  longer 
a  person  is  kept  waiting,  the  more  impatient  he  becomes 
and  the  more  attention  I  have  to  give  him  when  I  do  see 
him.  The  customary,  '  Sorry  to  keep  you  waiting, '  with 
a  line  of  explanations,  is  necessary  and  the  minutes 
quickly  pass. 

"With  my  plan,  the  interviews  are  short  and  snappy 
because  the  visitor  is  in  a  better  frame  of  mind.  Most 
of  my  interviews  now  are  satisfactorily  handled  in  the 


48 PLAN   THIRTY-FIVE 

lobby  and  do  not  average  more  than  two  minutes  each. 
It  is  seldom  necessary  to  receive  visitors  in  my  private 
office. 

"  As  an  additional  time  saver  I  always  have  a  schedule 
of  fill-in  tasks  which  I  take  up  whenever  a  moment's 
leisure  in  the  day  occurs." 

FLAN  35 

THE  "SPECIAL  EXIT"  PLAN 

A  busy  man  with  whom  every  minute  counts,  gets  more 
work  into  the  day  with  this  flan  for  cutting  down  lost 
time.  He  says  the  plan  works  particularly  well  under 
pressure  and  that  it  has  no  drawbacks. 

* '  I  find  I  gain  time  by  dismissing  callers  from  my  office 
out  into  the  building  corridor  just  as  many  busy  doctors 
do,"  states  one  business  man.  **By  adopting  this  plan 
instead  of  ushering  callers  at  the  end  of  an  interview  back 
into  the  room  where  others  are  waiting,  I  have  the  advan- 
tage not  only  of  speeding  my  work  but  also,  in  some  cases, 
of  keeping  my  business  more  private. 

"Under  the  arrangement,  the  outgoing  salesman  and 
the  incoming  salesman  do  not  meet  in  the  visitor's  room 
and  stop  for  a  moment's  chat  while  I  wait.  Wlithout 
thinking  of  the  amount  of  time  such  chats  took  away 
from  me,  salesmen  formerly  often  stopped  for  a  few 
seconds,  or  even  a  minute  or  two,  for  a  talk  at  my  door. 

"That  may  seem  to  have  been  a  small  waste  of  time, 
but  in  the  aggregate  it  was  a  considerable  loss  to  me.  I 
do  not  mind  a  little  friendly  talk  in  my  office,  between 
the  salesman  and  myself,  for  that  may  promote  good 
feeling  and  be  of  value  to  both  of  us,  but  for  one  salesman 
to  tell  the  other  how  many  fish  he  caught  on  his  vacation 
trip,  while  I  am  waiting,  does  not  profit  me.  My  plan 
has  made  quite  a  difference  at  busy  times." 


PLAN  THIRTY-SIX 49 

PLAN  36 
A  TIME-SAVING  PLAN  WHICH  SET  A  RECORD 

It  wasn't  developed  primarily  to  save  time,  but  just  read 
how  much  it  helped  out  during  one  year. 

A  western  business  man  has  devised  a  graphic  wall- 
chart  plan,  which  is  somewhat  different  from  the  major- 
ity of  those  in  use.  The  arrangement  saves  him  a  great 
amount  of  time. 

This  man  is  superintendent  of  a  public  utility  com- 
pany and  his  supervision  covers  all  of  the  city,  so  far  as 
complaints,  improvements,  operation,  and  other  impor- 
tant phases  of  management  are  concerned.  His  plan  was 
developed  because  his  floor  space  is  limited  and  he  wanted 
to  eliminate  some  of  the  file  cabinets.  But  these  con- 
tained a  great  deal  of  practical  data  required  frequently. 
A  majority  of  the  papers  were  maps  and  layouts  of  sec- 
tions of  the  city,  showing  locations  of  customers  and 
other  important  details. 

After  some  study  he  decided  to  hang  the  charts  on 
brackets  fastened  to  the  wall,  as  shown  in  Figure  7. 
This  was  easily  accomplished  by  building  a  wall  holder 
containiiig  a  number  of  ordinary  curtain  rolls,  arranged 
in  the  form  of  an  inverted  "terrace."  The  maps  and 
important  papers  were  attached  to  the  rods,  after  being 
reenforced  at  the  edges  to  prevent  tearing.  With  the 
"overhead  terrace,"  any  of  the  "map  curtains"  can  be 
pulled  into  full  view  quickly. 

For  instance,  when  a  complaint  is  received  from  a 
customer  either  in  person  or  by  mail,  reference  can  be 
made  to  the  exact  location  and  conditions  involved  simply 
b}^  glancing  at  the  map  for  that  district.  In  less  than  a 
minute  all  the  facts  in  connection  with  the  affair  can 
be  brought  together  where  formerly  a  clerk  had  to  plow 
through  the  files  to  unearth  the  desired  document. 


50 PLAN   THIRTY-SEVEN 

As  a  result  of  the  change  this  one  official,  assisted 
only  by  one  clerk  and  one  stenographer,  was  able  during 
the  succeeding  year  to  take  care  of  2,200  complaints. 
His  department  wrote  3,214  letters  touching  complaints ; 
1,380  street  car  service  checks  were  made  and  car  rout- 
ings were  improved;  9,902  scale  inspections  were  certi- 
fied ;  a  record  for  that  department. 

This  man  adds  that  the  idea  or  a  modification  of  it 
ought  to  be  a  time-saving  boon  to  any  business  where 
frequent  reference  to  charts  or  similar  data  is  made. 

PLAN  37 

ANOTHER  PLAN  WHICH  CLEARS  THE  PATH 
FOR  LARGER  TASKS 

You'll  admit  that  progress  is  possible  only  as  the  way 
is  opened  to  greater  accomplishment.  And  that's  why 
you  II  not  want  to  miss  finding  out  how  this  New  York 
man  handles  his  work. 

A  New  York  business  man  whose  duties  have  rapidly 
grown  to  large  proportions  carefully  trains  his  assistants 
to  take  over  various  tasks  from  time  to  time.  This  has 
in  a  measure  freed  him  from  detail  loads.  However,  he 
has  gone  still  farther  and  has  developed  an  intelligent 
information  service  to  supplement  his  careful  distribu- 
tion of  work. 

All  of  the  functions  of  the  business  are  accurately 
listed  and  grouped.  Opposite  these  groups  are  entered 
the  names  of  the  several  assistants  whose  training  has 
made  them  competent  to  handle  the  specific  tasks.  When 
a  caller  enters  and  asks  to  see  the  president  the  girl  at 
the  information  desk  requests  the  nature  of  his  business. 
She  then  refers  him  to  Mr.  Maynard,  or  whoever  the 
assistant  may  be,  and  tactfully  explains  that  this  official, 
who  is  "an  authority"  on  that  particular  subject,  can 


PLAN    THIRTY-SEVEN 


51 


Figure  7:  To  he  able  to  pick  up  information  in  three  minutes  that 
ordinarily  required  an  hour  to  gather  is  certainly  a  worth-while  rec- 
ord. Plan  36  will  tell  you  exactly  how  a  bufnness  man  who  is  abvays 
up  and  doing  discarded  maps  and  charts  which  were  taking  up  a  lot 
of  space  in  his  office  and  now  uses  a  wall  holder  like  this  07ie. 


take  care  of  the  visitor  more  promptly  and  satisfactorily 
than  the  president  himself.  This  method  not  only  frees 
the  head  for  larger  tasks  but  it  also  insures  adequate  and 
quick  service  to  the  customer. 

As  most  of  his  day  is  spent  in  interviews  on  the  con- 
cern's larger  problems,  this  executive  provides  against 
any  time  losses  through  misunderstandings  by  having 
an  accurate  stenographer  make  notes' of  every  conversa- 
tion, so  that  the  possibility  of  error  is  as  far  removed  as 
it  can  be  among  human  beings. 

These  conferences  are  seldom  long  but  they  are  always 
thorough.  He  has  a  way  of  getting  down  to  brass  tacks 
within  a  very  few  seconds.  The  caller  leaves  with  the 
impression  that  he  has  said  all  that  he  wanted  to  say. 


52 PLAN   THIRTY-NINE 

PLAN  38 

"WORTH  $10,000,"  SAYS  THIS  MAN  OF  HIS 
"60  SECONDS"  PLAN 

It  saves  days  of  time  for  him.     It's  quick  "on  the  trigger," 
too. 

''I  can  locate  in  not  much  over  60  seconds  an  authority 
on  nearly  anything  I  need  to  know, ' '  says  an  advertis- 
ing man.  "You  could  not  buy  my  data  book  and  col- 
lection of  information  for  a  cent  under  five  figures. 

"I  keep  a  small  looseleaf  note  book  indexed  under  a 
number  of  headings,  including  letters,  sales,  slogans, 
short  cuts,  purchasing  and  management.  When  a  busi- 
ness magazine  comes  to  my  desk  I  glance  through  it  to 
see  which  articles  look  most  valuable.  Then  on  the 
front  cover  of  the  magazine  I  mark  the  pages  on  which 
these  begin.  As  I  finish  an  article  I  check  the  page 
number  on  the  cover,  so  that  I  know  where  to  resume 
reading  next  time.  Every  year  I  have  my  magazines 
bound.  In  vertical  files  I  also  put  away  clippings  and 
similai'  information,  indexed  exactly  like  my  note  book 
and  instantly  available  when  needed. 

"In  a  few  moments  I  obtain  from  this  file  facts  which 
otherwise  would  take  weeks  to  get.  Not  only  do  I  save 
incalculable  hours,  but  I  pass  the  profit  along  to  those 
I  serve." 

PLAN  39 

YOU  CAN  TEST  THIS  PLAN  WITHOUT  SPEND- 
ING A  CENT 

It's  not  as  simple  as  it  looks,  perhaps,  but  a  number  of 
men  make  use  of  it,  even  though  it  does  involve  self-denial. 

"My  day  wasn't  long  enough  to  do  all  the  necessary 
checking,  reading,  and  planning,"  says  one  executive. 


PLAN   FORTY  53 


"So  I  decided  to  'kick  my  shins  out  of  the  rut'  and  dis- 
cover some  way  to  economize  my  time. 

"I  found  I  had  lots  of  'pep'  in  the  morning,  so  I  re- 
arranged my  hours.  Now  I  save  time  by  coming  down 
to  my  desk  at  7  o'clock  every  morning,  thus  pushing  my 
day  ahe?d  li/4  hours.  I  find  that  portion  of  the  day  the 
best  for  my  work.  The  hours  between  7  and  9  o'clock 
are  equal  to  any  other  four  hours.  ]My  afternoons  are 
used  mainly  for  the  smaller  detail  work  that  is  involved 
in  the  supervision  of  my  department.  I  believe  that 
the  nearest  approach  to  getting  100%  value  from  my 
time  is  accomplished  by  utilizing  the  morning  hours  to 
the  maximum." 

PLAN  40 

HERE'S  ANOTHER  TIME  SAVER  WHICH 
HAS  MADE  GOOD 

There  are  several  plans  in  this  book  that  are  similar  to 
this  one,  but  when  you  read  it  you  cannot  fail  to  see  why  it 
wa^  included. 

When  work  has  the  habit  of  piling  up  in  a  depart- 
ment, some  form  of  planning  board  often  will  do  away 
with  the  difficulty.  The  manager  of  one  office  found 
the  remedy  in  a  workboard  divided  into  two  sections — 
one  was  red  and  the  other  black.  The  red  portion  he 
reserved  for  emergency  and  rush  jobs,  and  the  black  for 
routine.  A  vertical  column  for  each  member  of  the  office 
force  shows  to  whom  a  job  is  assigned. 

Three-by-five-inch  cards  are  used  in  connection  with 
the  board.  Each  card  has  spaces  where  the  executive 
may  indicate  to  whom  the  order  is  issued,  what  it  covers, 
and  to  whom  the  work  goes  next.  The  cards  are  punched 
at  the  top  to  fit  over  hooks  on  the  board.  If  a  card 
hangs  in  the  first  position  of  the  red  division,  it  has  the 


54 PLAN   FORTY-ONE 

right  of  way  over  anything  else  in  that  employee's  col- 
umn. All  work  in  the  red  portion  has  precedence  over 
the  black.  Time  spent  on  a  job  must  be  shown  on  the 
slip,  thus  affording  a  check  on  the  speed  of  the  worker. 

PLAN  41 

HERE'S  AN  "ALWAYS -WITH -YOU"  TIME- 
SAVING  PARTNER 

You'll  point  out  that  there's  a  "string''  tied  to  this  plan. 
That's  true,  but  it  may  suggest  to  you,  as  this  manager 
says,  ''an  idea  of  even  under  application." 

''I  am  away  from  my  desk  so  much  of  the  time  at- 
tending to  important  problems,"  writes  an  executive, 
"that,  until  I  devised  the  present  plan,  I  found  it  diffi- 
cult to  keep  track  of  memoranda  of  interviews  or  duties 
to  be  taken  care  of  during  the  day. 

"It  was  impractical  to  hurry  back  to  my  desk  fre- 
quently to  see  what  was  next  on  the  program  because  I 
might  be  in  a  far  corner  of  the  house.  Neither  could  I 
take  chances  on  stuffing  these  notations  in  my  pockets. 
Consequently  I  was  wasting  time  and  undergoing  un- 
necessary irritation. 

"As  I  put  my  glasses  away  one  day  I  hit  on  the  idea 
of  making  a  tickler  partner  of  the  case.  I  now  carry 
on  small  cards  in  this  eyeglass  holder  any  exceptionally 
important  memoranda  that  I  simply  must  not  overlook. 
Since  I  change  my  glasses  every  time  I  turn  from  read- 
ing to  talking,  or  back  again,  the  notes  are  sure  to  come 
to  my  attention,  regardless  of  where  I  am  in  the  building. 

"For  my  particular  kind  of  supervision  I've  really 
found  this  'makeshift'  invaluable.  Of  course  its  avail- 
ability is  limited  to  those  who  wear  glasses,  yet  it  may 
suggest  to  someone  an  idea  of  even  wider  application,'* 


PLAN   FORTY-THREE 55 

PLAN  42 

A  PLAN  FOR  CLIPPING  TIME  FROM 
ROUTINE  WORK 

The  most  obvious  time-saving  methods  are  sometimes  the 
easiest  overlooked.  Here's  one  you  may  not  have  tried.  It 
is  curtailing  waste  motions  for  a  busy  man  and  may  also 
prove  profitable  in  your  work. 

A  middle  western  business  man  frequently  has  to 
attach  his  autograph  signature  to  a  large  number  of 
letters  and  documents.  To  do  this  it  was  necessary  for- 
merly to  clear  his  desk  and  handle  the  task  laboriously, 
Hotting  and  arranging  the  papers  in  order  to  resume 
his  other  work  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  This 
method  took  up  too  much  time. 

He  met  his  problem  by  adding  to  his  private  ofSce 
equipment  a  long,  high  desk,  on  which  documents  for 
signatures  are  spread  out  single  fashion  beforehand  by 
assistants. 

AVhen  a  lull  comes  in  his  routine  tasks  he  goes  to  this 
desk  and  stands,  signing  the  papers  rapidly  one  after 
another,  inasmuch  as  the  large  surface  permits  him  to 
waive  the  waste  motions  of  blotting  and  arranging  the 
sheets.  In  this  way,  too,  his  regular  work-desk  is  un- 
disturbed and  he  can  at  any  time  take  up  a  proposition 
quickly  at  the  point  where  he  left  off. 

PLAN  43 
BOOSTS  MY  WORK  ALONG  WONDERFULLY 

Have  you  taken  a  bird's-eye  view  of  your  own  job?  Whether 
you  sell  knives  or  tin  cans,  own  a  business  or  merely 
expect  to,  you'll  doubtless  find  it  interesting  to  try  this 
plan. 

"I  boost  my  work  along  wonderfully,"  says  one  man, 
"by  using  what  I  call  'My  Job'  folder.    Some  time  ago  I 


56 PLAN  FORTY-FOUR 

realized  I  was  so  busy  trying  to  make  the  office  efficient 
that  I  was  slighting  iny  own  progress.  I  hit  on  the 
folder  plan  as  a  solution.  I  analyzed  my  duties  as  best  I 
could,  mapped  out  the  work  I  personally  was  responsible 
for,  and  listed  various  ideas  that  came  to  me  for  bettering 
myself  and  the  office.  These  papers  I  put  in  the  folder 
and  gave  instructions  that  it  be  placed  on  my  desk  once 
a  month, 

''When  it  comes  to  my  attention,  I  go  into  the  execu- 
tive session  with  myself.  I  test  the  month 's  work  accord- 
ing to  my  analysis.  I  see  where  I've  fallen  down  and 
where  next  month  I  can  improve.  It  is  helpful  to  ask 
such  questions  as  'Did  I  make  the  most  of  today?';  'Am 
I  neglecting  some  vital  point  in  my  work?'  or  'Has  any 
new  condition  come  up  which  I  should  change  front  to 
meet  ? ' 

"I  keep  the  folder  up  to  date,  adding  suggestions  or 
ideas  as  they  come  to  hand.  If  someone  else,  in  print 
or  at  a  convention,  has  told  of  a  better  way  to  handle 
such  work,  a  note  or  clipping  finds  its  way  into  the 
folder.  If  I  hear  comments  that  are  critical,  or  if  the 
facts  and  figures  of  the  business  have  gone  against  me, 
I  note  the  change  in  the  demands.  The  folder  goes  back 
to  the  follow-up,  but  each  time  that  I  use  it  I  have  a  new 
grip  on  my  job." 

PLAN  44 

THIS  PLAN  HELPS  CLEAR  AWAY  "ODDS 
AND  ENDS" 

Jleres  another  plan  for  handling  unfinished  tcork.  It 
helps  one  manager  "get  away  with  it"  satisfactorily,  and 
is  evidently  a  "clean-up"  idea  of  considerable  value. 

One  executive  found  himself  frequently  buried  under 
a  mass  of  details,  which  either  absorbed  too  much  time 


PLAN   FORTY-FIVE 57 

if  attended  in  the  midst  of  other  important  duties, 
or  caused  him  unexpected  losses  when  neglected  too  long. 
He  hit  on  this  plan  to  take  care  of  these  "odds  and  ends" 
of  unfinished  work. 

He  now  uses  an  "odds  and  ends"  folder  into  which 
he  slips  every  item  of  business  not  requiring  immediate 
attention.  All  unimportant  details  and  suggestions  are 
dated  before  being  put  into  the  folder,  and  a  tentative 
date  added  for  their  completion  or  adoption. 

At  first  various  times  were  tested  for  "cleaning  up" 
the  contents  of  the  folder,  and  it  was  soon  found  that 
these  details  could  best  be  handled  before  the  day's 
work  was  fairly  commenced.  As  this  manager  usually 
gets  down  to  the  office  twenty-five  or  thirty  minutes 
before  the  office  force  begins  work,  he  devotes  that  extra 
period  to  going  through  the  folder.  He  finds  that  this 
arrangement  actually  saves  hours  of  overtime  work  which 
were  formerly  required  to  get  through  with  details  and 
unfinished  work. 

The  ' '  odds  and  ends ' '  folder  and  the  set  time  have  for 
over  two  years  automatically  taken  care  of  the  little  yet 
necessary  items  that  "only  the  boss"  can  handle. 

PLAN  45 

THE  "CHECKERBOARD"  PLAN 

To  be  sure  it's  an  odd  vay  of  saving  a  busy  mans  time, 
bid  it's  results  that  count.  Here  the  man  who  originated 
it  tells  you  just  how  he  uses  the  "checkerboard"  plan. 

Playing  checkers  during  office  hours  is  a  habit  with 
the  office  manager  of  a  Michigan  concern,  but  he  does 
it  to  save  his  time — and  he  finds  it  successful.  A  trans- 
formed card  table  is  his  checkerboard,  and  the  "pieces" 
he  uses  are  disks  of  various  colors,  on  each  of  which  is 


58 


PLAN   FORTY-FIVE 


Figure  8:  Playing  checkers  with  your  employees  might  seem  a 
rather  far-fetched  method  of  stimulating  production;  nevertheless 
one  business  man  hit  upon  this  idea  as  a  means  of  not  only  speeding 
up  work,  but  also  of  quickly  discovering  the  capabilities  of  different 
employees  and  then  promoting  them,  to  more  responsible  positions. 


written  the  name  of  one  of  the  employees  who  come 
under  his  supervision. 

This  office  manager  formerly  had  a  good  deal  of  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  an  accurate  record  of  his  constantly 
shifting  force.  A  card  index  failed  to  give  him  the 
results  he  wanted.  He  required  a  visible  record  which 
would  show  him  at  any  time  in  the  day  the  exact  dispo- 
sition of  his  forces,  as  well  as  general  facts  that  would 
help  him  to  insure  better  control  of  the  work. 

Like  many  business  men,  this  office  manager  believes 
a  mobile  force  of  employees  aids  economy ;  for  when  one 
department  is  exceptionally  busy,  another  may  not  have 
enough  to  do.  With  a  proper  organization,  employees 
in  the  idle  division  may  be  shifted  to  help  the  busy 
department  through  its  temporary  period  of  rush.  In 
this  office,  when  workers  are  transferred  to  an  over- 
worked section,  their  disks  are  moved  by  the  manager's 
secretary.  She  receives  notification  of  the  transfer  from 
the  division  heads  concerned. 


PLAN  FORTY-FIVE 


59 


Thus  an  unusual  amount  of  labor  in  any  one  depart- 
ment comes  to  the  immediate  attention  of  the  manager, 
and  he  can  either  direct  that  no  additional  work  be  sent 
into  the  crowded  department,  or  that  sufficient  addi- 
tional employees  to  clean  up  the  work  be  transferred 
from  a  less  congested  section  at  once. 


I 

J^--^-- 





r— 

t    ■ 

0 

n,':._.'.uy 

.-Ml.- 

'3  % 

i 

■ 

,r 

:y. 

"" '       ■  ^*^" 

•pr.iv^r.iP:-,^ 

■^■. 

1 

^ ,  !•' .'  ': 

~'    '''  ~  ■    '. .  ' 

G 

f 

''^} 

::;■, 

[ 

1 

■■■'\\ 

.J         ':-.    '           ■         .-' 

1 

ifczz. 

'              ■' ■ 

;.::!':'  J.. 

".,_:,:   \., 

Figure  9:  Refer  to  Figure  8  and  you'll  recognize  the  above  as  a 
'* ground  floor"  vievfoj  the  same  "office"  checkerboard.  Here  you 
see  just  how  the  checkerboard  works  out — how  it  helps  the  office 
manager  to  keep  his  finger  on  every  detail  of  the  work.  After  you 
have  read  Plan  ^5  perhaps  you  will  want  a  checkerboard  of  your  oum. 

In  case  of  serious  congestion,  a  small  red  flag  mounted 
on  a  disk  is  placed  on  the  checkerboard  space  which 
represents  the  crowded  division.  This  is  a  signal  that 
calls  for  the  manager's  immediate  attention,  A  white 
flag,  similarly  placed,  means  that  the  department  thus 
indicated  is  able  to  spare  part  of  its  workers  for  service 
in  some  busier  divi.sion.  Just  as  soon  as  a  division  has 
returned  to  normal  condition  through  borrowed  aid,  the 
return  of  the  workers  to  their  own  tasks  is  chronicled 


60  PLAN   FORTY-FIVE 

on  the  board  simply  by  shifting  disks.  Thus  the  man- 
ager can  see,  without  leaving  his  office,  that  the  usual 
routine  is  resumed. 

The  office  checkerboard  performs  many  other  equally 
important  services.  It  records  tardiness  and  absences 
in  a  simple  and  satisfactory  fashion.  Late  arrivals  are 
reported  by  the  office  timekeeper  to  the  manager's  sec- 
retary. She  inserts  a  small  green  thumbtack  in  the 
offender's  "checker."  Absentees'  disks  are  lifted  from 
their  places  on  the  board  and  laid  side  by  side  in  an 
absentee  rack,  which  is  provided  at  the  side  of  the  table. 
Here  the  checkers  remain  until  the  absentees  return  to 
work.  Tardiness  signs  remain  on  the  disks  throughout 
the  day.  Three  days'  tardiness  in  succession  earns  for 
the  belated  offender  a  black  tack,  which  may  result  in 
a  talk  to  the  employee  by  the  manager.  Members  of 
the  office  force  know  how  the  tacks  work  on  the  man- 
ager's checkerboard,  and  this  has  reduced  the  tardiness 
■percentage.     Black  tag  records  are  almost  unheard  of. 

The  use  of  "checkers"  of  various  colors  brings  quickly 
to  the  attention  of  the  executive  much  information  of 
a  miscellaneous  nature  that  is  valuable  in  regulating  and 
controlling  the  work  of  the  office.  White  disks,  for 
example,  signify  workers  of  ordinary  ability — those 
whose  tenure  of  employment  has  been  brief  and  whose 
record  for  efficiency  entitles  them  to  no  special  consid- 
eration. Red  disks  indicate  division  heads — workers 
who  deserve  recognition  because  of  their  special  executive 
qualities.  Gold  disks  designate  all  those  whose  long 
and  efficient  service  warrants  the  manager  in  entrusting 
them  with  authority.  These  gold  disks  are  in  high  es- 
teem among  the  division  heads,  as  are  the  red  disks 
among  those  who  aspire  to  promotion. 

Disks  half  white  and  half  red  indicate  workers  of 
ordinary  grade  whose  industry  and  adaptability  place 


PLAN   FORTY-SIX 61 

them  in  line  for  promotion.  Blue  disks  without  names 
indicate  vacancies  in  the  office  force  which  need  to  be 
filled. 

On  occasion,  the  board  is  also  used  to  chronicle  infor- 
mation regarding  the  progress  of  special  tasks.  Small 
squares  of  pasteboard  are  in  readiness,  and  when  the 
manager  wishes  to  follow  the  progress  of  some  par- 
ticular work,  one  of  these  squares  is  placed  in  the  proper 
position  on  the  checkerboard,  and  is  moved  as  the  work 
progresses.  Thus,  a  square  labeled  "fall  letter  to  Kan- 
sas list"  can  be  transferred  from  one  department  to 
another  as  the  task  goes  ahead.  Reports  come  to  the 
secretary  regularly  from  the  addressing,  enclosing,  and 
mailing  di\'isions,  and  the  square  is  moved  along  in 
accordance.  If  it  stops  too  long  in  any  one  division, 
that  fact  is  apparent  to  the  manager. 

Information  regarding  office  transfers,  deserved  pro- 
motions, and  the  like,  comes  to  the  manager's  secretary 
from  division  heads  in  the  form  of  office  notes.  The 
data  represented  is  at  once  registered  on  the  checker- 
board, so  the  manager  may  see  at  a  glance  just  what  is 
taking  place  in  the  office  without  the  need  of  reading 
lengthy  memoranda.  The  amount  of  time  he  saves  in 
this  way  is  considerable  in  the  course  of  a  month.  He 
is  relieved  of  the  necessity  of  always  asking  himself 
whether  details  are  being  attended  to. 

PLAN  46 
A  PLAN  WHICH  CLEANS  UP  TASKS  DAILY 

Getting  every  day's  task  finished  on  schedule  is  pretty 
nearly  perfection,  most  of  vs  will  say.  Still,  here's  a 
plan  that  has  helped  one  man  do  it. 

"Every  morning,  after  I  reach  my  office,"  says  a 
manager,  ' '  I  spend  at  least  half  an  hour  in  planning  my 


62 PLAN   FORTY-SEVEN 

work.  As  nearly  as  possible  I  map  out  a  schedule  for  the 
entire  day,  and  try  to  adhere  to  it.  I  find  that  I  more 
than  make  up  that  half  hour  by  eliminating  the  little 
'in  between'  time  losses  which  usually  occur  in  deciding 
on  the  next  thing  to  do. 

"My  stenographer  keeps  a  small  weekly  memory 
jogger  and  makes  a  note  of  every  appointment.  Every 
morning  she  places  on  my  desk  a  memorandum  of  the 
day's  engagements.  By  means  of  this  system  my  desk 
is  'cleaned  up'  daily." 

PLAN  47 
A  QUALITY-RATHER-THAN-QUANTITY  PLAN 

In  these  days  of  "Please  Rush"  in  almost  every  line  of 
work,  this  Boston  business  man's  plan  for  giving  a  task 
the  time  it  is  worth  is  interesting,  and  so  because  his 
policy  actually  provides  him  loith  more  time. 

"Push  the  work;  don't  let  it  push  you.  Give  a  task 
the  time  it  is  worth  and  find  a  way  to  get  it  done  in  that 
time." 

This  is  the  idea  which  a  Boston  business  man  keeps 
before  him  to  save  his  time  and  get  the  most  done.  He 
has  gone  in  for  time  and  motion  study  and  has  profited 
much  by  putting  a  schedule  or  quota  of  work  before  him. 

"It  is  better,"  he  says,  "to  think  of  a  schedule  as  a 
quota;  not  something  inviolable,  but  something  to  work 
to — if  possible,  to  beat.  Every  week  or  month  I  make 
it  a  policy  to  readjust  my  schedule ;  but  I  do  not  make 
changes  without  reason.  And  I  keep  the  time  table 
flexible. 

* '  The  orderliness  in  working  and  thinking  secured  by 
this  plan  gives  me  more  time  for  the  broader  phases  of 
business  and  constantly  urges  me  on  to  greater  accom- 
plishment. In  fact,  it  means  'quality'  rather  than  'quan- 
tity' in  attainment,  which  after  all  is  right." 


PLAN   FORTY-EIGHT  63 


PLAN  48 

THE  "FILE-AND-DISPLAY"  PLAN 

At  small  expense  this  man  equipped  his  office  with  a  small 
cabinet  and  a  display  board  and  then  added  a  box  of 
thumbtacks.  Now  he  says  he  doesnt  fritter  away  time 
clearing  off  his  desk  as  he  used  to.  He  has  no  "corner" 
on  the  idea,  and  explains  it  fully  below. 

*'I  formerly  fritted  away  hours  each,  month  clear- 
ing my  desk  top  to  make  room  for  charts,  maps,  reports, 
and  drawings  of  unusual  size  that  required  my  careful 
study,"  says  one  man.  "And  even  then  it  was  often 
a  question  whether  I  had  weights  enough  to  make  them 
lie  flat.  My  work  plan  now  eliminates  all  this  trouble 
and  saves  not  only  time  but  nerve  strain. 

"I  have  my  office  equipped  with  an  especially  con- 
structed upright  filing  cabinet  (see  figure  10)  which 
also  serves  as  a  display  rack.  A  regular  wooden  cabinet 
was  built  against  one  of  the  walls.  It  is  approximately 
11^  feet  in  depth  and  3  feet  high,  divided  into  compart- 
ments and  furnished  with  doors.  From  the  outer  edge 
of  this  cabinet  projects  a  ledge,  upon  which  drawings 
and  other  large  sheets  may  be  easily  placed  for  inspec- 
tion. Prom  the  ledge  a  reclining  wall  extends  to  the 
ceiling.  This  wall  is  made  of  soft  pine  and  covered  with 
cloth  so  that  thumbtacks  may  be  pushed  into  it  easily. 

"Thus  instead  of  having  to  disturb  my  desk  during  a 
busy  part  of  the  day  and  clear  away  papers  I  am  work- 
ing on,  I  can  instantly  thumbtack  any  larger  sheets  on 
the  pine  frame  for  quick  inspection.  There  is  never  any 
need  of  using  a  chair  as  a  makeshift  easel  to  avoid  stir- 
ring up  the  desk.  This  piece  of  equipment  has  two  addi- 
tional advantages.  It  displays  the  exhibits  in  the  proper 
light  and  at  a  correct  angle  of  vision.  The  cabinet  and 
rack  were  built  by  a  carpenter  at  moderate  cost. ' ' 


64 


PLAN   FORTY-NINE 


Figure  10:  While  it  may  he  true  that  we  can't  always  save  time  the 
exact  way  the  other  fellow  does,  rnost  of  us  probably  can  use  to  advan- 
tage afiling  cabitict  and  display  rack  like  the  one  pictured  above. 
It's  another  ^^ detail-made-easy  idea''  that  helped  one  business  man 
get  home  to  his  meals  on  time,  as  you'll  see  in  Plan  ^. 


PLAN  49 
THIS  PLAN  MIGHT  ADD  AN  HOUR  TO  THE  DAY 

No  matter  whether  you  employ  a  large  force  of  assistants 
or  only  one,  you  will  find  an  interesting  thought  in  this 
plan  for  handling  correspondence.  The  man  who  uses 
it  says  he  now  not  only  gets  more  whole-hearted  and  loyal 
sernicefrom  his  assistants,  but  that  the  plan  also  saves  much 
of  his  own  time. 

A  business  man  whose  particular  hobby  is  the  training 
of  employees  tells  an  interesting  story  of  how  he  saved 
time  and  expense  in  handling  his  mail. 

"In  reality,"  he  says,  "the  element  of  saving  never 
entered  my  head ;  all  I  was  thinking  about  was  develop- 
ing responsibility  in  a  certain  employee.  Yet  I  honestly 
believe  my  plan  has  worked  better  as  a  time-saving  plan 
for  that  very  reason,  than  if  I  had  been  actually  trying 
to  lessen  expense  in  that  way. 

* '  Here  is  what  happened :  One  morning  while  dictat- 
ing my  mail,  I  noticed  a  letter  calling  for  a  reply  of  the 


PLAN   FIFTY  65 


simplest  nature.  The  only  information  needed  could  be 
had  immediately  by  reference  to  our  files.  Almost  with- 
out thinking  I  handed  it  to  the  girl  and  remarked  'You 
know  all  about  this.    Answer  it.'  " 

"All  that  interested  me  was  the  effect  on  her;  she 
could  do  it  easily  if  she  thought  so.  Soon  I  was  delegat- 
ing more  important  replies  to  her  and  I  shortly  realized 
how  many  details  were  now  being  handled  at  less  expense 
and  how  much  more  time  I  had  for  larger  affairs.  This 
time  is  now  equivalent  to  adding  an  hour  to  my  day,  and 
it  was  an  hour  I  needed  badly,  too. ' ' 

PLAN  50 

WHAT'S  THAT  SAYING  ABOUT  A  MINUTE 
SAVED? 

These  two  little  plans  may  seem  insignificant,  but  they  are 
nevertheless  saving  minutes  every  day  for  one  man — and 
you  know  the  old  adage  about  minutes  saved. 

When  the  head  of  one  firm  needs  one  of  his  office 
boys,  he  simply  lifts  his  telephone  receiver  slowly  twice. 
The  switchboard  operator  automatically  sees  the  signal 
and  sends  the  messenger  in.  Should  he  desire  to  send  a 
telegram,  he  lifts  the  receiver  three  times  and  the  tele- 
phone girl  puts  in  a  call  to  the  telegraph  office. 

This  simple  little  plan,  this  man  says,  saves  him  a 
great  many  minutes.  He  is  able  to  keep  on  with  his 
work  and  he  obviates  in  this  way  the  time  it  always 
takes  to  get  the  operator's  response  and  explain  the 
requirements.  In  fact,  so  automatically  and  quickly  is 
this  signal  idea,  that  he  can  call  for  a  boy  without  even 
pausing  in  the  midst  of  an  interview,  in  his  dictation 
of  a  letter,  or  the  perusal  of  a  report.  Furthermore,  he 
now  uses  the  office  boys  for  tasks  which  formerly  con- 
sumed thousands  of  higher-priced  seconds. 


66 PLAN   FIFTY-TWO 

PLAN  51 

SIMPLE,  BUT  IT  HELPS  ONE  MAN  A 
"GREAT  DEAL" 

No  doubt  you  will  find  it  difficult  to  see  ivhy  a  flan  like 
this  couldn't  be  xmed  to  advantage  by  nearly  every  business 
man.  It  has  been  tested  out,  which  makes  it  all  the  more 
valuable. 

*'I  proportion  my  time  as  definitely  as  possible,"  says 
one  purchasing  agent.  ' '  A  specific  hour  to  transact  each 
kind  of  business  helps  me  a  great  deal,  I  find. 

*  *  I  spend  from  8  to  8 :30  reading  reports  on  the  market 
and  general  business  conditions ;  8 :30  to  9 :30  review- 
ing mail  and  placing  it  in  line  for  the  attention  of  the 
proper  persons;  9:30  to  10:30  dictating;  10:30  to  11:30 
approving  and  placing  requisitions  received  in  the  morn- 
ing mail ;  11 :30  to  12  handling  miscellaneous  matters, 
including  interviewing  of  salesmen ;  1  to  1 :30  approv- 
ing requisitions  received  in  the  noon  mail ;  1 :30  to  4 
handling  miscellaneous  matters,  including  the  interview- 
ing of  salesmen;  4  to  4:30  approving  invoices;  4:30  to 
5  :30  signing  correspondence,  orders,  tracers,  and  similar 
routine  matters." 

PLAN  52 

THIS  PLAN  PLUGGED  A  LEAK  WHICH  CAN 
BE  FOUND  IN  MANY  OFFICES 

We'll  all  agree  that  time  worth  $10  an  hour  is  usually 
wasted  if  spent  on  work  a  $20-a-week  employee  can  do  as 
well — or  better.  This  happens  right  along  in  many 
offices,  however,  and  this  plan  was  successjvlly  used  in 
one  offiA;e  to  cut  out  the  resulting  waste. 

"When  I  first  came  to  this  concern,"  says  an  eastern 
man,  "I  had  to  rebuild  my  job  from  the  foundation  up. 
If  I  had  followed  the  precedent  set  for  me  I  still  would 


PLAN   FIFTY-THREE 67 

be  just  as  swamped  by  detail  as  I  was  in  the  first  week. 

"The  big  problem  was  to  find  time  for  my  real  work 
of  managing.  The  details,  of  course,  had  to  be  handled 
by  somebody,  so  it  was  simply  a  case  of  finding  someone 
else  to  handle  them.  Under  ray  predecessor,  the  depart- 
ment had  been  a  one-man  affair. 

"I  instituted  periodic  talks  to  my  department  em- 
ployees, some  by  outside  experts.  Each  individual's  work 
was  taken  up  and  discussed  and  the  employees  were  in- 
structed in  the  purpose  of  graphs  and  charts  in  super- 
vision. Photographs  helped  to  demonstrate  in  a  forceful 
way  the  advantages  of  certain  routine  processes  used  in 
other  offices,  as  compared  to  the  old,  ineffective  methods 
we  were  gradually  discarding. 

"In  an  unusually  short  time  I  had  an  educated  de- 
partment, a  group  of  people  who  understood  the  routine 
better  than  I  did.  Immediately  and  almost  automatically 
— I  don't  think  I  ever  issued  an  order  to  the  effect — the 
detail  work  stopped  coming  to  me,  and  I  had  a  maximum 
of  time  for  giving  my  attention  to  the  larger  phases  of 
sales  work  which  required  attention. 

PLAN  53 

THIS  PLAN  CAN  EASILY  SAVE  ITS  COST 
THE  FIRST  TIME  IT'S  USED 

Do  you  want  your  conferences  to  grip  your  merCs  interest 
from  start  to  finish?  If  so  you  II  recognize  the  value  of 
this  plan  right  away  and  no  doubt  you  may  be  able  to 
adapt  it  to  your  work. 

"How  to  speed  up  our  weekly  conferences  was  a  real 
problem,"  says  a  sales  manager,  "until  we  conceived  the 
idea  of  distributing,  two  days  before  the  conference, 
copies  of  a  synopsis  of  the  subjects  to  be  discussed  at 
the  conference. 


68 PLAN   FIFTY-FOUR 

"We  recognized  the  value  of  the  personal  touch  in 
these  meetings,  but  far  too  much  time  was  being  wasted 
through  failure  to  stick  to  a  definite  program.  Con- 
ferences usually  develop  diverse  views.  Mental  processes 
vary  with  the  individual.  Some  men  think  quickly ;  oth- 
ers grasp  subjects  slowly,  approach  discussions  cau- 
tiously, and  scarcely  develop  interest  until  near  the 
end  of  the  meeting.  The  opinions  of  these  men  are 
valuable,  but  rather  than  humor  their  mental  attitude,  it 
seemed  best  to  make  them  do  at  least  their  preliminary 
thinking  beforehand. 

"The  results  were  all  we  hoped  for.  Our  men  meet 
together  each  Saturday.  On  Thursday  morning  each 
man  receives  a  letter  outlining  the  subjects  to  be  taken 
up  at  the  conference.  We  meet  at  10 :30  and  now  usually 
are  through  in  an  hour.  This  is  in  contrast  with  former 
meetings  which  usually  occupied  the  whole  forenoon 
and  often  carried  over  into  the  afternoon.  Even  then, 
sometimes,  we  did  not  entirely  finish." 

PLAN  54 

THIS  INGENIOUS  PLAN  SAVED  TIIME  AND 
PATIENCE  ALSO 

The  three  simple  ideas  in  this  plan  may  suggest  ways  in 
which  you  can  avoid  some  of  those  ^'little  delays"  that 
individually  take  but  a  small  amount  of  time,  but  which 
use  up  a  good  deal  in  the  aggregate. 

An  eastern  business  man  who  uses  a  roll  top  desk  by 
a  bit  of  ingenuity  overcame  some  of  the  annoying  delays 
experienced  in  fumbling  for  envelops  and  papers  in 
the  pigeonholes. 

He  h-ad  blocks  of  wood  inserted  in  those  pigeonholes 
which  were  too  deep.  The  blocks  are  sawed  diagonally 
for  one  face,  so  that  each  envelop  protrudes  slightly 


PLAN   FIFTY-FIVE 69 

beyond  the  next.    He  now  has  no  difficulty  or  annoyance 
in  getting  one  quickly. 

This  same  man  has  many  papers  to  sign  in  the  course 
of  his  day's  work.  He  was,  for  a  time,  the  victim  of 
occasional  delays  due  to  his  pen  going  dry.  To  prevent 
this,  he  now  keeps  a  supply  of  fountain  pens  constantly 
in  front  of  him.  The  pen  caps  fit  tightly  into  holes  bored 
in  a  piece  of  wood  which  is  fastened  conveniently  over 
the  two  center  pigeonholes.  By  means  of  this  simple 
device  the  points  are  kept  clean  and  there  is  no  mess 
from  leakage.  One  of  the  daily  tasks  of  the  office  boy  is 
to  see  that  all  pens  are  full. 

PLAN  55 

A  PLAN  WHICH  SAVES  YOU  TIME  AND 
THE  CALLER'S,  TOO 

Usually  the  busier  you  are,  the  more  people  wan*  to  see 
you,  UTid  it  is  often  a  problem  to  hear  everything  important 
that  a  visitor  has  to  say,  and  then  get  him  out  of  the  office 
quickly  without  giving  him  offense.  Here's  the  way  one 
executive  does  it. 

"I  have  an  engagement  this  morning  at  10,  which, 
gives  me  15  minutes  now.  I  will  be  back  at  1 :30  and 
will  then  have  a  half  hour  before  2  o  'clock,  when  I  have 
another  engagement.  If  15  minutes  will  do,  I  wish  you 
would  come  in  now;  if  it  will  take  longer  suppose  you 
come  around  this  afternoon." 

By  a  simple  and  straightforward  statement  like  this 
a  traction  executive  saves  much  of  his  own  time  and 
hurts  nobody's  feelings.  No  visitor  expects  to  trespass 
upon  an  important  board  meeting,  so  no  offense  can  be 
taken. 

He  excuses  himself  from  callers  by  a  buzzer  system. 
At  the  end  of  the  time  allotted  for  the  interview  the 


70     PLAN   FIFTY-SIX 

buzzer  rings,  the  traction  man  rises,  excuses  himself, 
and  the  caller  usually  leaves  without  further  ado. 

If  another  man  comes  to  see  this  executive  while  he  is 
talking  with  a  visitor,  and  the  secretary  knows  that  his 
superior  wants  to  see  the  second  caller,  a  prearranged 
huzzer  signal  notifies  the  executive  of  this  fact.  If  his 
visitor  is  slow  to  leave  he  presses  a  secret  button  which 
signals  his  secretary  to  interrupt  the  conversation  to  teU 
him  that  he  is  wanted  in  some  other  part  of  the  office. 

PLAN  58 
THE  "OFFICE  TRUNK"  PLAN 

You  may  never  travel  and  an  office  trunk  may  be  the  last 
time  saver  you  will  ever  need  in  your  business,  but  that 
doesn't  get  around  the  fact  that  the  underlying  'principles 
oj  never  allomng  your  work,  to  pile  up  on  you  is  as  appli- 
cable to  your  business  as  it  is  to  that  of  the  man  who 
originated  this  plan. 

Here  is  a  man  who  has  all  the  conveniences  of  his 
office,  even  while  he  is  "on  the  road."  Correspondence 
and  other  routine  duties  have  no  chance  to  accumulate, 
for  they  are  handled  as  they  come  up.  All  the  facilities 
are  ready  and  at  hand  in  the  "office  trunk"  which  this 
man  has  had  especially  built  for  him. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  articles  the  trunk  is  de- 
signed to  hold : 

1  typewriter. 

1  portfolio  with  all  sample  forms  and  bulletins 
required  for  presenting  the  product  to  any  prospect. 

1  four-drawer  steel  card  index  (3  by  5  inches) 
for  prospects  and  users.    Capacity  about  4,000  cards. 

4  pocket  rating-books. 

1  complete  sample  machine. 

2  sample  drawers. 


PLAN   FIFTY-SIX 


71 


Figure  11:  Keeping  an  office  in  a  trunk  may  strike  you  as  wry 
unusual,  but  the  man  who  designed  the  ^''office  trunk"  shown  above, 
says  it  has  worked  mighty  well  for  him.  Out  on  the  road  it  keeps  his 
business  with  him,  and  it's  a  new  profit  builder  because  it  helps  him 
save  a  lot  of  time  in  "working  while  he  waits." 


1  house-organ  binder  with  house  organs. 
1  sales  and  commission  ledger. 
1  letter  portfolio  for  correspondence. 
Several  sales  manuals  and  bulletin  books. 
Advertising  and  stationery. 

The  trunk,  which  is  illustrated  in  Figure  11,  is  made 
of  three-ply  veneer  covered  inside  and  out  with  fiber  and 
strongly  reenforced  with  iron  corners  and  small  angles. 
The  partitions  are  made  of  veneer  and  covered  with 
thin  brass  at  the  front.  The  trunk  dimensions  are  24  by 
20  by  18  inches.  The  weight,  empty,  is  about  80  pounds ; 
filled  to  capacity,  about  170  pounds. 

The  principal  advantages  of  the  trunk,  says  the  man 
who  uses  it,  are : 

"1.  I  have  complete  office  facilities  with  me  at  all 
times. 

"2.  My  prospect  files  are  always  up  to  date  and  I 
have  all  my  correspondence  records  with  me. 


72  PLAN   FIFTY-SEVEN 

"3.  I  can  keep  up  my  records  while  on  the  road  at 
a  substantial  saving  of  time.  Otherwise  I  would  have 
to  work  a  couple  of  days  at  the  conclusion  of  each  trip  to 
catch  up. 

"4.  I  have  all  facilities  for  handling  any  sale  that 
may  arise.  I  have  a  complete  sales  kit,  latest  bulletins 
for  special  cases,  a  typewriter  for  reports,  correspond- 
ence, and  for  writing  quotations  or  proposals.  I  have 
tools  for  repairs,  rating  books  for  credit,  house  organs 
for  ginger,  and  a  profitable  occupation  for  a  lonesome 
night  in  a  dull  town." 

PLAN  57 

45  MINUTES  A  DAY  IS  THE  TIME-SAVING 
RECORD  OF  THIS  PLAN 

A  Columbus,  Ohio,  business  man  was  "at  sea."  His  cor- 
respondence methods  were  losing  business  because  he 
couldn't  get  letters  out  on  time.  So  he  did  some  analyzing 
end  developed  the  following  plan  which  has  eliminated 
worry  and  enabled  him  to  dispose  oj  his  mail  in  one  read- 
ing. 

"I  was  always  behind  time  in  answering  important 
letters,"  states  a  Columbus,  Ohio,  business  man,  ** be- 
cause I  tried  to  handle  all  the  correspondence  myself. 
While  busy  on  non-essentials  I  was  delaying  dictation 
and  that  meant  loss  of  business. 

"After  worrying  several  months  I  saw  where  I  was 
'lame'  and  worked  out  a  plan  which  enables  me  to  dispose 
of  practically  all  letters  in  one  reading,  saving  me  at 
least  45  minutes  every  day.  The  extra  time  I  am  able 
to  devote  profitably  to  the  larger  problems  of  my 
business. 

''I  now  have  a  definite  schedule  for  handling  corre- 
spondence the  first  thing  in  the  morning.    Here  it  is : 


PLAN   FIFTY-EIGHT 73 

1.  Look  over  the  mail 

2.  Pass  on  to  subordinates  all  letters  not  requiring 
my  attention 

3.  Have  looked  up  information  on  correspondence  re- 
requiring  my  attention 

4.  Write  customers  and  others  as  required 

"I  save  time  with  this  desk  procedure  even  in  the  most 
ordinary  transactions.  For  instance,  a  customer  calls 
up  on  the  telephone  and  asks  for  a  verbal  summary  of  an 
estimate  on  a  prospective  job.  It  may  be  that  he  has 
mislaid  the  written  estimate,  or  perhaps  it  has  passed 
into  the  hands  of  some  assistant  who  is  out  for  the  day. 
Ordinarily  it  would  have  taken  me,  possibly,  several 
minutes  to  gather  this  data.  In  the  meantime  my  work 
would  have  slipped  behind  and  the  customer  would  have 
become  disgusted.  But  with  my  modern  desk  methods, 
I  keep  the  wire  open  just  a  moment,  turn  to  my  card 
index  and  then  to  my  desk  file,  get  the  carbon  of  the 
estimate  blank,  and  give  him  the  information  on  the 
spot,  and  give  it  to  him  accurately." 

PLAN  58 

THIS  PLAN  SAVES  ITS  ORIGINATOR  FOUR 
HOURS  A  DAY 

You  probably  dislike  details  as  heartily  as  the  next  man. 
They  annoy,  they  jiever  stop,  they  steal  time  which  as  a 
rule  would  be  better  employed  if  devoted  to  other  work. 
A  busitiess  man  here  tells  how  he  lessened  his  "detail 
load." 

One  executive  keeps  nothing  on  his  desk  or  inside  it 
except  his  inkstandj  pen,  and  such  documents  as  are 
under  his  consideration  at  the  moment.  His  stenogra- 
pher has  the  card  index  system  and  is  within  instant 
reach  of  the  desk  cabinet  file.  The  stenographer  also 
keeps  an  hourly  tickler  of  appointments  and  important 


74  PLAN   FIFTY-NINE 


business,  and  sees  that  the  executive  is  kept  informed.  A 
year  ago  tliis  executive's  desk  was  literally  buried  by 
papers  of  every  description.    He  was  a  slave  to  detail. 

"The  difference,"  says  this  business  man,  "expressed 
in  time,  is  this :  I  now  accomplish  in  an  average  of  two 
hours  or  less  what  formerly  took  me  about  six  or  eight 
hours  every  day.  Now  I  have  plenty  of  time  for  think- 
ing about  the  big  questions  of  the  business. 

"Of  course  the  fundamental  explanation  of  these  al- 
tered circumstances  is  the  development  of  competent 
assist-ants  to  do  what  I  had  to  do  before." 

PLAN  59 
THE  "OFFICE  DIRECTORY"  PLAN 

Here's  a  plan  ivith  a  "Who's  Who"  angle  to  it  that  can 
be  applied  in  almost  any  business.  As  a  time  saver  the 
evidence  is  all  in  its  favor,  and  the  chances  are,  too,  that 
it  will  suggest  an  idea  or  two  to  you. 

"In  our  office,"  says  an  eastern  business  man,  "there 
are  several  men  whose  time  is  much  in  demand  by  sales- 
men and  outsiders  in  general.  A  good  deal  of  that  time 
was  being  wasted  in  preliminaries  such  as  introductions 
and  so  on. 

"We  overcame  this  loss  by  posting  conspicuously  in 
the  office  and  plant  notices  which  read  in  part  as  follows : 

INFORMATION 

Our  correct  name  is  the  A.  P.  HYATT  MANUFACTUR- 
ING COMPANY. 

Our  mail  address  is  Norman  and  Lawrence  Streets,  EAST 
ORANGE,  NEW  JERSEY. 

Our  shipping  address  is  in  all  cases  to  be  taken  from  our 
purchase  order  form. 

Our  telephone  number  is  ORANGE  6000. 

The  officers  are  as  follows:     D.  F.  O'BRIEN,  President; 
M.  G.  PERKINS,  Vice-President;  T.  F.  HALPIN,  Secretary; 


PLAN   FIFTY-NINE 75 

P.  A.  HYATT,  Treasurer.     All   of  the  officers,  except  Mr. 
Perkins,  are  located  at  this  plant. 

Mr.  O'Brien  can  be  seen,  if  an  interview  has  been  ar- 
ranged, any  day,  except  Saturday,  between  10  o'clock  and  4 
o'clock. 

Mr.  Halpin  has  charge  of  sales,  advertising,  office  employ- 
ment, prices  on  supplies  and  specialties  in  our  water  works 
line.  He  can  usually  be  seen  on  Tuesdays,  Wednesdays, 
Thursdays,  and  Fridays,  from  1:30  o'clock  to  4:30  o'clock. 

Mr.  Hyatt  has  charge  of  buying,  charity  and  other  dona- 
tions, prices  on  brass  and  iron  castings,  and  machine  work 
and  factory  privileges.  He  can  be  seen  usually  on  Mondays, 
Tuesdays,  Thursdays,  and  Fridays,  from  10  o'clock  to  12:30 
o'clock  and  from  2  o'clock  to  4:30  o'clock. 

In  order  to  SAVE  YOUR  TIME  and  ours,  it  is  best,  in 
all  cases,  to  arrange  an  interview  in  advance.  Please  give 
the  boy  at  the  window  full  information;  you  will  save  time 
by  it,  as  he  has  orders  that  he  must  obey.  He  will  furnish 
you  with  a  card  marked  APPLICATION  FOR  AN  INTER- 
VIEW, if  you  desire  it. 

VISITORS  must  have  a  pass,  properly  signed  by  an 
officer,  before  admission  to  the  factory  will  be  granted. 

APPLICANTS  FOR  EMPLOYMENT  must  fill  out  an 
application  card.     Ask  the  boy  for  one. 

We  will  appreciate  it  if  you  will  report  to  us  any  dis- 
courtesy on  the  part  of  any  of  our  clerks  toward  you.  Their 
instructions  are  to  help  you  as  much  as  possible. 

We  have  street  directories,  maps,  and  guides,  and  will  be 
pleased  to  loan  them  to  you  on  request.  We  have  many 
trade  papers.  If  you  must  wait,  as  unfortunately  you  will 
will  have  to,  at  times,  ask  for  one,  so  that  your  time  will  not 
be  wasted. 

We  thank  the  SALESIVIEN  who  visit  us  for  the  informa- 
tion and  many  new  and  good  ideas  they  have  brought  to  us. 

"You'll  notice  several  important  features  about  this 
plan,"  he  continues.  "It  is  definite,  it  furnishes  the 
information  that  any  visitor  desires,  and  it  is  courteous. 
There  is  no  excuse  for  a  caller  getting  in  touch  with  the 
wrong  man." 


§2 


3   ff-.K 


i 

1 

e 

i 

. 

V^IV^ 

rf           3 

1             |oU 

1           »<>« 

»e-wtr)^ 

i      i 

•L          C 

[     (iMntianO 

1      ^ 

— n             ■            _ 

1           1 

i  - 

1 

1         ^ 

HI     =     TT 

1 

h      °      1 

j 

1     - 

T^T^     1 

t      h 

l'  I     -            :          1  =            1 

%       ll 

if     -            -          I-            J 

-jl      i| 

1|     » 

■    '    i 

g  1 

» 

s      1    1    ii 

i| 

1    1    1! 

i 

5 

i 

u:eja.|*i 

s 

I           p,>«:s 

9 

P-MJ«d 

1 

iuin 

a            3 

i«r«>«Ji 

Q        s 

o*wS 

3 

itqiunu  |i»uivv«a 

1      U 

i  ' 

3 
i 

1     

1 

—\             IB 

. 

S3 

u.^.1 

i             (tfottiS 

»  2 

pmiierf           1 

,     =; 

;         S| 

MUVS^oJ             1             1             1             i             I 

i^    1         1 

1 

I 

■"f+i  M  1 1 144- 

■ 

t  I'-s     '     " 

1 N 

J I 

I                                     1 

'    "    "    "    "                   ll 

•^u'!i''!ii 

4i--===i 

■Jl            '" 

■.__  ..  J;_l_l       "■" 

1 

3 

-  fh 

111  ipilii 

1 

3    1 

3|^ 

f ' ■ T 1' 1 1 — 

!  U--  /  M 

ji 

h 

^    e  -2 


ill 


e     '=0     ** 

i  -•! 
lit 

s  s  -^ 


<»    P>, 


to 

e 

o 

s 

-« 

?a. 

*^ 

s 

r* 

g^ 

^ 

a 

5>, 

esi 

s 

s 

< 

,^  ^ 


^    '^    ^ 

w.  -O   -£> 


76 


PLAN   SIXTY  77 


PLAN  60 

A  PLAN  THAT  FINDS  OUT  QUICKLY 
"HOW  WE  STAND" 

Here  a  man  tells  how  he  saves  hours  of  time.  The  idea 
is  not  brand  new,  perhaps,  but  the  use  he  makes  of  it  will 
no  doubt  open  up  new  channels  to  use  for  saving  time. 

"A  definite  plan  of  receiving  daily  reports  from  the 
routine  departments  of  our  business  has  been  one  of  my 
best  time-saving  helps, ' '  says  the  head  of  a  Kansas  firm. 
"I  formerly  spent  much  time  going  here  and  there 
throughout  the  office,  asking  this  or  that  question,  to 
find  out  'how  we  stood'  at  any  certain  period.  This  took 
up  the  hours  of  the  morning  best  suited  to  work  on  the 
larger  duties  of  my  position. 

"I  realized  I  was  constantly  running  behind  on  my 
*bef ore-noon  schedule,'  and  adopted  a  new  method.  I 
now  have  the  daily  repoi*ts,  as  indicated  in  Figure  72, 
placed  on  my  desk  as  early  as  possible  each  morning  and 
I  go  over  them  at  once. 

''These  six  slips  may  seem  like  a  formidable  array 
of  figures  and  facts  to  look  over  every  day,  but  such 
is  not  the  case.  Each  report  is  so  arranged  that  I  can 
glimpse  totals  quickly.  Often  I  scarcely  more  than 
glance  at  each  slip,  but  they  are  at  hand  if  I  want  them. 
In  this  way  I  have  at  my  instant  command  the  statistics, 
both  financial  and  clerical,  of  every  department  of  the 
business.  The  fact  that  these  reports  come  to  me  is 
sufficient  to  spur  every  worker  to  his  best  efforts,  it  has 
been  my  experience  thus  far, 

' '  I  gain  hours  for  my  desk  duties  by  this  plan  and  still 
know  what  is  going  on.  The  reports  are  filed  in  consecu- 
tive order  for  30  days  and  kept  easily  available  until 
thp  monthly  recapitulations  have  been  checked.  After 
that  they  are  filed  in  the  general  file." 


78 PLAN   SIXTY-ONE 

PLAN  61 
A  PLAN  WHICH  REDUCED  TEN  HOURS  TO  SIX 

Quite  a  jump,  isn't  it — a  gain  of  four  hours?  Yet  it 
wasn't  such  a  difficult  ta^k  uiih  the  aid  of  the  "dead- 
line" railing,  the  handful  of  letters,  and  the  "chair-less" 
interview. 

A  ten-hour  day  reduced  ta  six  is  the  net  result  of  a 
plan  for  handling  callers  put  into  practice  by  an  execu- 
tive located  in  the  West. 

No  caller  is  admitted  directly  to  his  office.  The  infor- 
mation clerk  meets  the  visitor,  learns  his  name  and  busi- 
ness, or  secures  his  card  and  says:  "I  will  see  if  Mr. 
Booth  is  disengaged." 

Sometimes  the  president  sends  back  word  he  cannot 
see  the  man.  If  he  is  in  doubt  as  to  what  the  caller  wishes 
to  discuss,  or  if  he  knows  it  will  not  require  much  time, 
he  leaves  his  office  and  meets  the  visitor  outside  the  "dead- 
line" railing;  usually  with  some  papers  in  his  hand.  No 
warning  is  needed  to  impress  the  caller  that  he  is  inter- 
rupting a  busy  man. 

Should  the  business  require  a  little  private  discussion, 
the  executive  invites  the  caller  inside  the  railing  of  the 
outer  office,  usually  with  some  such  remark  as  "Come 
inside  a  minute  or  two. "  Here  the  proposal  is  discussed  ; 
and  as  the  president  is  being  kept  out  of  his  office  and 
away  from  his  work,  it  is  easy  for  him  to  end  the  inter- 
view by  saying  he  must  get  back  to  his  desk. 

' '  A  handy  extra  chair  is  the  worst  device  in  the  world 
to  invite  and  hold  a  caller,"  this  president  says.  He 
keeps  ' '  guest  chairs ' '  just  outside  his  office  door.  Should 
a  visitor  get  inside  the  private  office  he  has  no  place  to  sit 
down.  "Once  a  man  lands  in  a  chair,  it's  practically 
impossible  to  get  him  out  without  dynamiting  him,  until 
he  has  told  the  whole  story, ' '  explains  the  executive. 


PLAN   SIXTY-TWO 79 

Where  the  visitor  gets  inside  the  private  office,  the 
president  leads  him  out  by  going  outside  himself.  Here 
the  ' '  You  're-holding-me-away-f  rom-niy- work ' '  impression 
is  given,  and  the  executive  can  cut  the  interview  easily 
and  without  offending. 

Where  the  caller  is  especially  welcome  or  much  time  is 
required,  "guest  chairs"  are  brought  in  by  the  office 
boy.  This  method  is  tactful  and  handles  effectively  both 
the  outsider  whose  call  is  for  a  v/orth-while  purpose,  and 
the  man  for  whom  a  minute  of  the  president's  time  will 
suffice. 

PLAN  62 

A  PLAN  FOR  GETTING  FACTS  WITHOUT 
LEAVING  YOUR  DESK 

You  may  already  use  an  adaptation  of  it,  oecause  the  man 
who  originated  it  has  told  a  lot  of  people  about  it,  and  news 
of  good  time-saving  plans  travels  fad.  But  that  only 
goes  to  show  how  good  he  considers  the  plan  and  why  it  is 
included  here. 

A  two-drawer  letter  filing  cabinet  at  the  right  of  his 
desk  is  the  groundwork  of  a  Chicago  business  man's 
plan  for  saving  time.  He  has  found  it  exceptionally 
practical  in  taking  care  of  his  personal  tasks.  Without 
leaving  his  desk  or  rising  from  his  chair  he  has  instant 
access  to  his  important  collection  of  letters,  clippings, 
and  reports. 

This  handy  cabinet  enables  him  to  avoid  delays  and 
the  possibility  of  errors  that  result  when  papers  of  a 
more  or  less  personal  nature  are  kept  in  the  general  files. 
The  drawers  are  equipped  with  folders  numbered  from 
1  to  60,  each  of  which  contains  papers  classified  according 
to  specified  subjects.  The  "  key  "  to  these  folders  appears 
on  typewritten  sheets  of  paper  placed  under  the  glass 
top  of  his  desk. 


80 PLAN   SIXTY-THREE 

When  he  desires  information,  say,  about  foreign  ad- 
vertising agencies,  he  turns  to  his  key  and  finds  that  all 
his  data  on  the  subject  are  filed  in  folder  number  7,  and 
he  has  what  he  wants  on  his  desk  in  a  moment.  If  he 
seeks  an  anecdote  about  business  for  a  speech  which  he  is 
to  make,  he  quickly  notes  that  his  favorite  anecdotes 
and  pertinent  paragraphs  are  kept  in  folder  number  45. 
In  like  manner  he  has  classified  all  clippings  or  penciled 
memoranda  that  bear  upon  any  of  his  various  interests ; 
it  takes  but  a  moment  to  file  them  away  and  they  are 
instantly  available  when  needed. 

This  man  finds  that  his  file  is  flexible,  and  readily 
adaptable  to  his  peculiar  needs.  He  has  described  it  to 
a  number  of  his  friends — manufacturers  and  retail- 
ers— who  have  put  it  into  use.  Each  individual,  of 
course,  makes  his  own  classifications  according  to  his 
requirements. 

PLAN  63 

A  FEW  MINUTES'  WORK  NOW— HOURS 
SAVED  LATER 

Here  are  two  -plans  in  one.  Both  indicate  the  value  of 
preparing  for  a  business  "drive"  in  advance.  IVs  )">rettu 
nearly  a  certainty  that  they'll  a'  least  suggest  a  time- 
saving  idea  to  you. 

A  "seller  of  service"  in  the  Middle  West  saves  both 
his  own  and  his  salesmen's  time  by  keeping  on  file 
at  his  office,  rough  plans  of  each  proposition  on  his  lists. 
Little  expense  attaches  to  these  layouts,  for  he  or  one 
of  the  men  quickly  sketches  them  on  chart  paper. 

When  a  prospect  inquires  for  a  certain  proposition  the 
agent  shows  him  the  plans  to  correspond.  As  each  pros- 
pect usually  has  a  certain  arrangement  in  mind  as  most 
desirable,  these  plans  enable  him  to  choose  the  one  or 
two  possibilities  that  suit  his  fancy.    All  the  other  plana 


PLAN   SIXTY-FOUR 81 

can  then  be  discarded.  Thus  fewer  trips  to  show  propo- 
sitions at  first  hand  are  necessary  and  hours  are  gained 
in  handling  the  business. 

Another  man  who  spends  almost  no  time  in  his  office, 
conserves  his  hours  by  using  a  written  schedule.  Each 
evening  he  lists  the  tasks  he  should  accomplish  the  next 
day,  and  then  arranges  them  in  the  order  of  importance 
and  convenience.  This  takes  perhaps  10  minutes.  He 
sets  down  no  definite  hours  except  for  appointments  and 
aims  to  make  as  few  hard  and  fast  engagements  as 
possible. 

With  this  schedule  he  fares  forth  on  his  day's  work. 
He  makesi  most  of  his  deals  on  the  outside  and,  although 
adhering  as  closely  as  possible  to  his  schedule,  he  never 
hesitates  to  disregard  it  if  he  thereby  gains  some  advan- 
tage. A  daily  time  sheet  like  this  often  succeeds  in  regu- 
lating activities  in  lines  of  business  where  such  regula- 
tion is  generally  regarded  as  next  to  impossible. 

PLAN  64 

THIS  PLAN  PROVES  THAT  THE  OTHER  MAN'S 
METHOD  OFTEN  FITS 

The  idea  back  of  the  cash  register  is  said  to  have  come 
from  a  denice  for  recording  the  revolutions  of  a  ship's 
engines.  That  goes  to  indicate  that  ideas  can  he  trans- 
ferred from  one  field  lo  another.  And  this  plan  offers  you 
still  another  indication. 

"A  simple  idea  for  arranging  desks,  which  I  picked 
up  while  looking  through  a  newspaper  office  and  put 
into  use,  has  resulted  in  con.siderable  time  economy  for 
me,"  relates  a  manager.  ''The  plan  is  this:  Instead 
of  having  men  scattered  about  the  office  as  formerly,  I 
now  have  their  desks  arranged  nearer  together  in  *U' 
shape,  with  my  desk  at  the  open  end  of  the  *U'  facing 


82 PLAN    SIXTY-FIVE 

the  others.  This  arrangement  is  patterned  after  the 
desk  line-up  in  the  city  editor's  room, 

"The  plan  especially  appealed  to  me  for  I  have  a 
number  of  assistants  and  find  it  necessary  to  inspect 
their  work  frequently  as  well  as  to  confer  with  them. 
Under  the  old  method,  I  had  to  leave  my  desk  many 
times  a  day  to  see  how  office  tasks  were  going.  Also,  if 
I  wanted  quickly  to  take  up  some  item  with  an  assistant, 
I  was  compelled  to  wait  till  he  reached  my  desk.  All 
these  minutes  of  delay  meant  time  more  or  less  wasted. 
Now  I  am  near  enough  to  each  worker  so  that  it  takes 
but  a  moment  to  step  to  any  desk  to  look  over  accounts 
or  other  papers  or  books  too  bulky  to  carry  around  con- 
veniently. 

"In  case  I  want  to  ask  any  of  the  men  a  question,  I 
do  not  have  to  hold  up  the  subject  in  hand  till  he 
arrives  at  my  desk.  I  simply  call  over  to  him  without 
raising  my  voice.  Thus  the  information  is  at  once  forth- 
coming and  I  can  go  right  along  with  my  work.  If  I 
wish  to  present  some  important  phase  of  the  business  to 
all  the  force,  we  are  able  to  go  into  conference  without 
loss  of  time.  This  'U'  arrangement  so  far  as  I  have  been 
able  to  discover  has  no  drawbacks. 

PLAN  65 

•THIS  PLAN  HAS  SAVED  ME  HUNDREDS 
OF  HOURS" 

A  Pacific  Coast  man  is  most  enthusiastic  about  this  plan 
of  hu  and.  considering  the  results  secured,  he  has  caus«  to 
he.  Even  though  you  may  not  he  so  husy  in  just  the  same 
direction,  you  will  nevertheless  he  interested  in  his  "10- 
reason"  time  saver. 

""Wihen  I  tell  you  that  I  confer  with  more  than  1,000 
solicitors  a  year,  or  an  average  of  more  than  three  a  day, 
you'U  see  why  it  is  that  I  must  have  a  definite  plan  for 


PLAN   SIXTY-SIX 83 

handling  this  feature  of  my  work, ' '  states  a  Pacific  Coast 
manager.  ' '  It  took  some  months  to  hit  on  a  satisfactory 
solution,  but  I  am  now  able  to  conserve  my  minutes  and 
finish  each  day 's  tasks  without  wearisome  overtime.  And 
yet  I  see  just  as  many  salesman  as  before. 

"Each  solicitor,  as  he  enters  the  office,  is  received  by  a 
stenographer,  who  hands  him  a  definite  form  to  fill  out. 
On  it  are  spaces  for  all  the  information  I  require — name, 
commodity  handled,  and  other  details.  There  are  addi- 
tional blank  lines  for  the  use  of  the  salesman  in  entering 
10  reasons  why  I  should  use  what  he  has  to  offer.  When 
he  comes  to  my  desk  I  ask  him  first  to  read  these  10  rea- 
sons, and  then  to  amplify  them  by  further  remarks. 

"The  plan  has  saved  me  hundreds  of  hours,  for  it  has 
automatically  developed  in  each  salesman  the  ability  to 
present  a  short,  definite,  and  exact  outline  of  what  he 
intends  to  say.  Formerly  his  natural  tendency  was  to 
keep  on  talking  until  he  got  the  contract.  Even  now,  of 
course,  the  solicitor  who  reads  the  10  reasons  he  has  just 
written  may  add  a  little  to  each  reason,  but  when  he  has 
finished  the  list  he  stops.  That  is  my  cue  to  ask  for  his 
information  blank  and  tell  him  I  will  mail  him  my  deci- 
sion to  reach  him  within  a  week.  In  this  way  the  inter- 
view is  over  quickly,  we  part  on  friendly  terms,  and  I  can 
make  my  decision  carefully  and  at  my  leisure." 

PLAN  66 

IT  WOULD  BE  HARD  TO  IMPROVE  THIS 
PLAN'S  RESULTS 

This  -plan  keeps  a  busy  man 's  desk  free  from  details  and 
his  mind  clear  for  big  problems.  What  more  could  one  ask? 

The  private  office  of  an  engineer  who  handles  many 
important  construction  jobs  is  an  example  to  those  in 
search  of  time-saving  opportunities.    His  double  flat  top 


84 PLAN    SIXTY-SEVEN 

desk  is  covered  with  plate  glass,  under  which  are  progress 
charts  and  maps  of  the  work.  The  charts  are  brought 
up  to  date  once  a  week  by  an  assistant.  Nothing  is 
allowed  to  remain  on  top  of  the  glass — no  pens,  pencils, 
ink,  or  papers. 

The  desk  equipment  consists  of  two  pencils  and  a  mem- 
orandum pad,  kept  in  the  flat  middle  drawer ;  in  the  left- 
hand  top  drawer  is  a  pen  and  a  non-leakable  inkwell, 
and  in  the  top  right-hand  drawer,  a  box  of  cigars.  The 
methods  used  to  bring  about  this  condition  are  few.  No 
details  take  up  this  man's  time  because  they  never  get  to 
him.  An  organization  surrounds  him  which  is  capable 
of  attending  to  the  lesser  business.  He  keeps  in  touch 
with  every  department,  but  seldom  interferes. 

The  memorandum  pad  in  the  middle  drawer  is  used 
frequently  for  making  suggestions  to  departments.  In 
order  to  keep  duplicates  of  his  instructions  and  at  the 
same  time  avoid  shifting  a  piece  of  carbon  paper,  he 
uses  pads  with  alternating  white  and  yellow  sheets.  The 
white  sheets  are  perforated  and  carbonized  on  the  back. 
With  this  pad  it  is  a  simple  performance  to  jot  down 
memoranda,  call  a  boy  and  send  notes  on  their  way,  leav- 
ing a  record  on  the  yellow  duplicates  for  follow-up. 

PLAN  67 
A  PLAN  WHICH  GIVES  THE  DAY  A  GOOD  START 

Here's  a  new  kind  of  partner — a  "file  partner" — and 
the  man  toho  first  took  "him"  into  business  reports  favor- 
ably on  "hi7>i." 

To  avoid  loss  of  time  in  his  daily  work  a  manager  in 
the  West  uses  a  special  "file  partner"  to  remind  him 
of  his  various  tasks.  Located  in  the  upper  desk  drawer, 
these  files  supplement  the  function  of  the  desk  calendar 
pad.    They  are  divided  by  tabs  into  the  following  head- 


PLAN  SIXTY-EIGHT 85 

ings:  ''immediate;"  each,  of  the  six  weekdays;  "sales- 
men ; "  * '  in  a  few  days ; "  "  ideas, ' '  and  ' '  printer. ' ' 

The  "immediate"  file  he  tackles  first  each  morning. 
Without  delay  he  can  jump  into  this  important  work. 
Then  as  he  gets  to  it,  he  goes  through  the  file  covering 
that  particular  day.  All  material  to  be  used  in  discus- 
sion with  another  officer  he  places  in  the  file  bearing 
that  man's  name,  pending  a  conference  between  them. 
The  printer,  whom  he  sees  daily,  gets  the  same  treatment. 
Under  "salesmen"  he  puts  items  for  attention  with  the 
salesmen  and,  under  the  "ideas"  and  "in  a  few  days" 
folders,  he  files  topics  of  value  for  later  use.  This  data 
is  looked  over  thoroughly  every  few  days. 

For  subjects  of  great  importance,  the  manager  dictates 
a  letter  to  himself,  and  makes  the  stenographer  respon- 
sible for  its  delivery  to  him  on  the  morning  of  the  speci- 
fied day.  This  is  in  addition,  of  course,  to  the  "file 
memory. ' ' 

PLAN  68 

THIS  PLAN  IS  WORTH  ITS  WTIGHT  IN 
GOLD  TO  ONE  MAN 

Here  a  busy  man  tells  hotv  he  uses  a  unique  "date  book" 
to  distrHnde  his  appointments  evenly  over  the  week.  A 
glance  at  it  tells  him  exactly  V)hat  work  is  laid  out  for 
each  day  anci  enables  him  to  finish  tasks  on  time. 

One  executive  who  has  many  appointments  for  confer- 
ences and  interviews  each  week  has  worked  out  a  plan 
for  charting  his  tasks  which  he  says  is  worth  its  weight 
in  gold  to  him. 

He  keeps  on  his  desk  a  looseleaf  pad  of  paper  8V2  by 
11  inches,  with  the  individual  sheets  ruled  off  into  a  set 
of  squares,  six  across,  and  eight  deep.  Each  vertical  row, 
beginning  at  the  left,  represents  a  day  of  the  week,  and 
the  horizontal  rows,  beginning  at  the  top,  are  for  the 


86 PLAN   SIXTY-NINE 

working  hours  of  each  day.     Thus  each  sheet,  dated  at 
the  top,  represents  a  week. 

AVhen  this  business  man  makes  an  appointment  to  see 
Stone  next  Wednesday  at  11  o'clock,  he  simply  jots 
Stone's  name  down  in  the  third  column  from  the  left — 
Wednesday — and  the  third  square  from  the  top  of  the 
column — since  his  day  begins  sX  9  a.  m.  A  real  advan- 
tage of  the  idea  is  the  way  in  which  it  enables  him  to 
visualize  his  appointments  and  distribute  them  evenly 
through  his  days  and  through  the  week,  so  that  he  does 
not  overload  one  day  at  the  expense  of  another.  A  single 
glance  enables  him  to  tell  just  how  full  next  Thursday 
is.  and  whether  he  had  better  see  Hayes  on  that  day  or 
on  Friday.  Moreover,  each  night  a  quick  survey  of  the 
vertical  column  of  next  day's  work  enables  him  to  map 
out  his  schedule  effectively,  economizing  on  time  and 
details.  He  says  that  he  finds  the  little  unpleasant  jobs, 
on  which  he  formerly  was  likely  to  procrastinate,  have  a 
habit  of  getting  themselves  done  on  schedule  if  jotted 
down  for  a  given  day  and  hour. 

PERHAPS  THIS  IS  THE  PLAN  YOU'RE 
LOOiaNG  FOR 

The  chance.t  are  that  no  matter  vhat  kind  of  business  you 
happen  to  be  in,  you  trill  find  it  about  as  easy  as  falling 
off  a  log  to  work  out  some  sort  of  a  variation  of  this  plan 
to  fit  your  oum  particrdar  needs. 

An  "office  encyclopedia"  is  the  plan  worked  out  by  a 
Pennsylvania  business  man  for  saving  his  time  in  look- 
ing up  information  regarding  customers.  Before  he 
evolved  the  new  method  rarely  was  there  a  record  suffi- 
ciently complete  at  hand.  Like  many  other  managers 
he  looked  up  accounts,  examined  the  contract  books  and 


PLAN   SIXTY-NINE 


87 


DATE  PAID 


DATES  WRITTEN  —  REMARKS 


BRDST. 


SEE  OTHER  SIDE— HISTORY  AND  REMARKS 


Figure  13:  Here^s  a  way  to  know  "who's  who"  among  customers 
and  to  keep  the  information  always  at  hand.  This  office  "encyclo- 
pedia" contains  a  "boldface' '  record  of  all  customers  who  have  been 
extended  credit,  and,  as  a  rule,  it  determines  those  who  are  acceptable 
for  future  trust.     Plan  6'J  tells  you  all  about  it. 

the  orders  previously  entered,  delved  in  Dun  or  Brad- 
street,  and  otherwise  resorted  to  the  usual  laborious 
methods.    And  it  all  took  time. 

Now  he  consults  the  ' '  office  encyclopedia. ' '  He  or  the 
head  of  any  department  can  refer  instantly  to  the  com- 
plete record  of  any  customer  and  learn  the  condition  of 
the  account  at  the  moment  without  bothering  the  book- 
keepers; note  how  the  customer  has  been  paying;  find 
the  record  of  letters  written  for  a  remittance;  deter- 
mine his  credit  rating;  learn  what  material  the  cus- 
tomer buys;  the  contracts  in  force;  and  his  address, 
shipping  point;  and  every  other  data  that  may  be  of 
interest  regarding  him. 

Two  card  records  constitute  the  "encyclopedia."  One 
(Figure  13)   is  the  basis  of  the  customer's  record.     A 


88 PLAN   SIXTY-NINE 

card  is  made  out  for  every  customer  on  the  books  and 
for  all  prospective  buyers.  It  contains  all  pertinent 
information  concerning  each  one.  All  departments  must 
join  in  the  accurate  keeping  of  the  record. 

For  instance,  the  names  and  addresses  are  filled  in 
by  the  sales  department  upon  the  receipt  of  the  first 
inquiry,  together  with  credit  or  any  other  data  obtain- 
able. The  invoice  department  is  next  required  to  in- 
sert the  necessary  information  under  "material,"  show- 
ing the  principal  products  which  the  customer  buys. 
The  information  imder  the  heading  "contracts"  is  fur- 
nished by  the  clerk  who  has  charge  of  this  detail.  A 
cipher  often  is  used  for  the  insertion  of  prices,  but  this 
practice  is  not  invariable. 

The  back  of  this  form  is  blank  and  is  reserved  for 
special  remarks — ^principally  information  gathered 
through  correspondence  or  furnished  by  agents,  com- 
plaints of  importance,  and  the  disposition  or  settlement 
of  them.  The  card  is  5  by  8  inches  and  is  filed  alpha- 
betically in  a  cabinet  which  is  kept  in  the  most  con- 
venient position  for  reference.  The  cards  are  filed  and 
cross-indexed  under  whatever  headings  are  deemed 
necessaiy. 

The  second  card  (Figure  13)  is  for  collections  and 
is  kept  separate  from  the  customers'  record.  Its  prime 
purpose  is  to  enable  the  manager  to  keep  an  accurate 
tab  on  all  past  due  accounts.  The  bookkeeper,  every 
few  days,  goes  over  the  invoice  book  and  enters  on  the 
cards  each  customer's  name  whose  account  is  past  due, 
the  dates,  and  the  ledger  folio.  All  cards  are  placed  in 
alphabetical  order  in  a  cabinet.  This  enables  anyone  to 
go  quickly  over  the  past  due  accounts  and  make  deduc- 
tions without  Avasting  time  asking  questions.  Whenever 
an  account  is  settled  the  card  h  marked  "paid." 


PLAN  SEVENTY  89 


My  assistants  understand  they  are  to  adhere  strictly 
to  this  plan  and  I  encourage  them  to  be  alert  in  follow- 
ing it  out  in  detail.  I  get  my  information  speedily  and 
clear  away  my  desk  without  vexing  delays.  Certain 
letters  obviously  fall  into  well-defined  classes  so  that  I 
merely  designate  what  answers  to  send. 

I  realize  that  the  way  we  handle  correspondence  re- 
flects the  spirit  of  the  house,  so  that  is  all  the  more  reason 
why  I  want  it  handled  systematically  and  by  a  definite 
schedule.  I  read  the  letters  received  only  once  unless 
they  are  of  such  importance  that  they  require  holding 
over  for  study.  This  method — open,  read,  dictate  answer 
— makes  for  quick,  effective  handling  of  correspondence. 

pim  70 

THIS  PLAN  SAVED  10% 

It  happens  that  this  is  the  plan  of  a  factory  superintendent, 
but  once  you  have  read  it,  you  loill  readily  see  that  it  can 
he  applied  wherever  interviews  form  a  part  of  the  day's 
work. 

A  factory  superintendent,  whose  time  is  much  in  de- 
mand by  people  both  in  and  out  of  his  own  organization, 
has  so  arranged  his  office  chairs  with  relation  to  his 
own  desk,  as  to  make  an  estimated  saving  of  10%  of  the 
time  formerly  taken  up  by  interviews. 

The  chair  to  the  right  of  his  desk  is  for  outside  callers ; 
that  on  the  left  is  for  employees.  Regular  callers  under- 
stand the  plan  and,  when  admitted,  they  always  take 
the  chair  on  the  right  without  being  invited  to  sit  down. 
If  a  foreman  enters  w^hile  an  interview  is  going  on  he 
takes  the  left-hand  chair  and  the  superintendent  can 
dispose  of  him  quickly,  as  a  rule.  Conferences  of  more 
importance  are  held  in  a  private  office. 

This  same  executive  has  saved  himself  many  additional 


90 PLAN   SSVEXTY-ONE 

minutes  by  having  his  office  walled  with  clear  glass. 
From  his  desk  he  can  see  the  entire  floor,  a  fact  which 
has  made  unnecessary  many  of  the  inspection  trips  he 
foraierly  had  to  make. 

He  overcame  any  possible  objection  to  this  idea  from 
the  men  by  explaining  that  the  windows  were  put  in 
not  that  he  might  spy  upon  them,  but  merely  to  save  his 
own  time. 

PLAN  71 

HOURS  SA\^D  BY  ELIMINATING  "IF'S" 
AND  "AND'S" 

This  is  similar  to  Plan  95  in  some  respects,  but  it  operates 
a  little  differently.  That's  why  it's  included — so  that 
you  can  take  your  choice  or  combine  the  two,  pre- 
haps,  to  save  some  of  your  fleeting  tninutes. 

"I  save  hours  in  the  course  of  a  month  by  putting  all 
my  instructions  in  writing,"  says  an  Atlanta  business 
man.  "I  do  not  except  even  the  less  important  detailed 
orders,  where  it  is  possible  to  get  them  in  black  and  white. 

* '  Formerly  I  sent  for  men  and  more  or  less  discussion 
was  bound  to  result.  "While  holding  these  interviews  I 
often  had  my  mind  on  other  work,  v/hich  was  pressing, 
and  was  delayed  by  the  'if 's'  and  -and's'  that  arise  dur- 
ing a  personal  talk  over  business  problems.  I  have  elimi- 
nated a  lot  of  useless  argument  and  superfluous  explain- 
ing of  points  an  assistant  can  usually  figure  out  for  him- 
self and  to  much  better  advantage.  And,  even  more 
important,  I  am  sure  that  my  instructions  will  be  carried 
out  as  soon  as  possible. 

' '  For  each  note  I  use  a  special  sheet  in  duplicate  with 
only  two  words  on  it,  'Do'  and  'Done,'  and  also  a  serial 
number.  I  write  the  name  of  the  person  addressed  just 
over  the  word  '  Do. '  The  instructions  and  the  date  when 
the  work  is  to  be  finished  follow  under  this  heading. 


PLAN    SEVENTY-TWO      91 

The  duplicate  is  kept  by  my  secretary  who  files  it  under 
the  date  on  which  the  task  should  be  completed. 

"At  the  bottom  of  the  original  slip  is  the  word  'Done' 
and  just  below  is  a  space  for  the  worker's  signature. 
When  he  has  finished  the  assignment  he  signs  his  name 
and  returns  the  sheet  to  me.  I  give  each  assistant  plenty 
of  time  for  his  task  and  I  expect  him  to  be  through  on  the 
date  specified,  unless  he  sends  in  an  explanation,  bearing 
the  number  of  the  instruction  note,  and  convinces  me  that 
he  is  warranted  in  having  an  extension  of  the  time.  In 
that  case,  the  date  on  the  duplicate  is  advanced 
accordingly. ' ' 

PLAN  72 
THIS  PLAN  SAVED  MOMENTS  TODAY 

And,  what's  more,  it  also  chased  away  noise  and  inter- 
ruptions for  the  man  who  oriijinafed  it.  If  yo^i  are  dis- 
turbed too  frequently  in  your  work  you'll  want  to  knoiv  how 
this  executive  secludes  himself  successfully. 

An  ingenious  short  cut  in  executive  work  has  been 
devised  and  put  into  practice  by  the  head  of  a  business 
man  located  in  the  Middle  West,  with  the  aid  of  a  well 
known  device  for  transmitting  or  overbeaming  speech. 
No  telephone  or  other  mechanical  appliance  appears  on 
his  work-table;  to  all  outward  appearances  his  private 
office  is  as  free  from  the  machinery  of  business  as  is  his 
library  at  home.  But  attached  to  the  bottom  of  the  work- 
table  is  the  device,  located  at  his  right  and  within  reach 
of  his  hand  when  he  is  seated  in  his  chair.  To  this 
device  are  connected  five  wires.  Three  of  these  Avires 
are  connected  with  the  private  offices  of  his  chief  assist- 
ants ;  the  fourth,  with  the  desk  of  his  secretary,  while  the 
fifth  is  connected  with  the  telephone  switchboard  in  tlie 
outer  office.     This  arrangement  enables  him  to  handle 


92 PLAN   SEVENTY-THREE 

his  day's  work,  if  need  be,  without  leaving  his  chair 
and  without  summoning  a  single  individual  to  his  office. 
By  merely  holding  the  small  circular  receiver  to  his  ear, 
he  is  able  to  carry  on,  in  a  normal  voice,  telephone  con- 
versations via  the  switchboard,  or  to  converse  privately 
with  any  one  or  all  three  of  his  assistants;  private  con- 
ferences between  the  four  are  sometimes  conducted  by 
means  of  this  device. 

The  executive  dictates  his  letters  over  the  instrument, 
to  the  economy  of  time  and  effort  both  of  himself  and 
of  his  secretary.  And  the  device  has  been  of  special 
service  in  enabling  his  secretary  or  one  or  more  of  his 
three  assistants  to  overhear  the  conversation  that  is  of 
interest  to  them  by  the  simple  device  of  calling  their 
offices — a  modification  of  a  scheme  which  has  been  exten- 
sively used  in  detective  work  and  broadly  exploited  in 
spectacular  ways  during  recent  years. 

PLAN  73 

A  PLAN  :MADE  up  ENTIRELY  OF  "TIME- 
SAVING  KNACKS" 

Ifs  a  knack  for  saving  time  that  puts  many  a  man  ahead, 
we'll  all  admit — but  even  if  we  haven't  the  knack,  tchat 
difference  does  it  make  as  long  as  we  have  descriptions  of 
the  plans  used  by  the  lucky  ones  with  the  knack? 

One  business  man  has  found  that  "little  knacks"  in 
the  aggregate  save  him  valuable  time  each  day  in  han- 
dling correspondence.  His  plan  eliminates  all  petty 
annoyances  and  obstacles  to  an  orderly  completion  of  the 
work.  His  assistants  are  given  certain  rules  by  which 
they  cooperate  with  him,  so  that  all  letters  come  to  him 
ready  for  easy  reading.  The  use  of  pins  or  clips  in  the 
extreme  upper  left-hand  comer  only,  or  for  some  docu- 
ments,  the  extreme   lower  left-hand   comer,    makes  it 


PLAN   SEVENTY-FOUR 93 

imnecessary  to  remove  the  pin  from  correspondence  in 
order  to  get  at  a  name  or  date  that  is  covered  up. 

In  the  letters  themselves  the  sorter  checks  and  under- 
scores important  points  so  that  the  executive  is  enabled 
to  visualize  the  contents  quickly.  As  he  goes  over  them 
he  in  turn  indicates  what  disposition  he  wishes  made  of 
them.  To  save  time  in  this  work  he  uses  abbreviations — 
a  "shorthand"  that  explains  itself — such  as  a  capital 
"C,"  when  he  desires  previous  correspondence  attached, 
and  the  letters  "fu"  followed  by  a  future  date,  when 
subjects  are  to  be  followed  up,  as  well  as  other  private 
marks  for  various  processes  the  letters  require. 

There  is  a  vertical  file  within  reach  of  his  chair,  with 
folders  marked  for  "look-up"  and  for  various  form- 
letter  replies.  As  he  sorts  his  mail  two  or  three  times 
a  day,  he  puts  the  routine  items  in  the  proper  folders. 
His  stenographer  gets  one  or  another  folder  in  her  free 
time,  and  answers  the  group  of  similar  queries  quickly. 

PLAN  74 
THIS  PLAN  CHECKED  EIGHT  TIME  LEAKS 

This  man,  finding  himself  too  often  sivamped  vnth  work, 
and  desiring  to  'profit  by  previous  mistakes,  analyzed  his 
problem  as  described  below,  and  noio  he  doesn't  give  him- 
self a  chance  to  be  overcroivded.  How  he  does  it — and 
it's  really  a  simple  plan — rnay  give  you  a  profitable  idea. 

"Anah^sis  of  my  problems  enabled  me  to  develop  a 
plan  for  minimizing  detail  loads  which  were  occurring 
all  too  frequently, "  says  one  business  man.  "So  swamped 
was  I  at  times  by  unexpected  work  that  I  found  little 
opportunity  for  vital  phases  of  policy  and  business 
growth.     I  have  overcome  these  conditions  successfully. 

"I  saw  in  going  over  past  work  that  losses  in  time 
came  from  the  following  eight  causes:  ' 


in PLAN    SEVENTY-FIVE 

"1.  Delay  in  getting  quotations  showing  extreme  mar- 
ket changes. 

"2.  Unusual  runs  on  items  which  must  be  ordered 
from  various  supply  sources. 

"3.  Emergency  orders  which  upset  routine. 

"4.  Delay  in  promised  shipments. 

"5.  Unreported  breakage. 

"6.  Calls  for  goods  stocked  by  competing  firms. 

"7.  Excessive  correspondence  covering  a  line  or  item 
under  consideration. 

"8.  Miscellaneous  causes  not  important  enough  to  be 
listed  in  above. 

"To  do  away  with  these  conditions,  and  thus  gain 
time  for  myself,  I  not  only  placed  more  responsibility 
on  my  immediate  assistants  but  arranged  for  greater 
cooperation  from  the  various  clerks — a  simple  readjust- 
ment when  it  was  made  clear.  For  instance,  in  handling 
unusual  runs,  I  eliminated  most  of  the  worry  and  trouble 
by  having  clerks  report  such  demands  for  goods  the  first 
day,  making  renewal  possible  ahead  of  the  ordinary 
minimum  stock  notification. 

PLAN  75 

"IT  HAS  STOOD  THE  TEST  OF  YEARS,"  SAYS  A 
MAN  WHO  HAS  USED  THIS  PLAN 

This  plan — in  a  little  different  '''dress"  to  be  sure — to 
you  is  described  as  used  by  several  men.  Isn't  ike  fact 
that  they  could  all  adapt  it  to  their  individual  needs  en- 
couraging? 

For  tabulating  quickly  all  useful  information,  one 
executive  finds  a  "roster  of  data  files"  helpful  and  prac- 
tical. He  has  proved  its  worth  through  several  years' 
actual  test. 


PLAN   SEVENTY-FIVE 


95 


This  "roster"  is  made  up  of  about  130  subjects,  ar- 
ranged alphabetically  and  placed  under  the  glass  plate 
in  his  desk.  Opposite  each  subject  is  printed  the  number 
of  the  file  in  which  data  on  that  topic  is  placed.  When- 
ever the  executive  comes  across  a  letter,  newspaper  or 


Roster  of  Data  Files 

Numerical 

1 

CcnvnitoiQ 

ee 

Credit  Men's  Association  Talkj 

Adcraft  Club 

2 

Uyouta 

67 

Saving*  Idea  and  the  Pooolo 

Ad»nrl)3inii  Agortcy.  The  (37) 

3 

OeslcHnf  M9 

68 

Annual  Report-TSia 

Advertising  Coooemllon 

« 

SmojIIt  AdvertJslfig 

68 

Advertisino  Schemss 

Advertising  Department 

5 

Rilfill  Advenuing 

70 

Books  lor  a  Businecs  Man's  Um 

Advertising  Manajjer.  The  <se«  123) 

6 

Bank  Advertl8Wio 

71 

What  to  Do  wi\h  the  70  Yeart 

Advertising  Bepcrl-ieil  (.43) 

7 

The  Advertising  Managsr  (ue  12^ 

72 

Odd  Characters  in  Buslngss 

Adveflising  Schemes 

S 

The  Advertibtn.i  Agency  (37) 

73 

Aoeney  Ad^ertisinfl 

fldvertisinflTalksd) 

9 

Slie>1  Cull  (E»  126.  127,  128, 129) 

74 

"Attar  th«  Day's  Work" 

Aftar  Hie  Day's  Work 

10 

Une.-i 

75 

Nations!  Economic  League 

Agency  Advertising 

II 

Cfwic  Betuttllcalloiw 

78 

National  Aisoclation  CorpofBtion 

Agency  Relatitwis 

12 

CIvk  Morality 

77 

Advertisli>g  Cooperation 

Amoricsn  Association  for  Promoting  Effldinqr 

13 

Ctvic  Birslnesa 

78 

EtPtlency— Gettinfl  Right  Stirt 

Anotdotes  ot  Sloro  Management 

" 

ComnWKiAl  Education  (Talk) 

78 

Efficiency— Rules  of  llie  Gamo 

Annu^  Report  (1910) 

U 

Fon»w-iip  Idaas 

80 

Efficiency— What  8  the  Use 

Annual  Fteport  iWU) 

le 

BookXI  Ideas 

81  ^Ehl'iwcy— On  the  Road  to  Damascus 

Associated  Advertising  CliAs 

17 

ComiT\ercial  Ciutl  TsIVs 

82 

EfTiciency— Vision  ot  Things  Well  Don« 

As6;>ciation  of  I^alional  Advertiaing  Manager* 

IS 

Adyerttslng  Oepartrae/it 

83 

Efficiency— Paper  of  Brass  Tacks 

-               ■ ■ . 1 

» 

Human  Nature 

114 

C. 

SI 

Pirtwial  lllualrttlona. 

115 

Trade  EtcunJons 

CadiltacTui 

52 

AdcranCkib 

lie 

General  Manatrer  <B.  A.  M.) 

Church  Advartising 

53 

Law  Pro(ir«SB 

117 

Sales  Manager  (B.  A.  M.) 

Circulation  and  f^ates  (33) 

M 

Employliig  Peopla 

118 

CIvk  Beautification 

U 

Church  Advertising 

119 

Civic  Business 

M 

Prrjfragsnda  Cammlttae 

120 

Sp«ch«s-(LittleWord) 

Civic  Morality 

57 

Plans  cl  Orgwization 

121 

Speeches— "Ad  verti  si  no  lo  Man  In  Mirror" 

Clippings  ot  Speeches 

se 

Office  Sy&teme  and  Schoofi 

122 

Speeches— "Con   Men  in  Competllloo" 

Commercial  Ctub  Talks 

sa 

Pfinliag 

123 

Speeches— "The  Voice  •!  the  Houm" 

Cemmercial  Education  (Talk) 

60 

Cadtitatma 

124 

Speeches 

Cwmnloslon  Form  o*  Covemmart 

<i 

Begging  Pi^grams— S|»clal  Eiilllwis 

125 

Speechee 

Competition  Arguments 

S2 

AttsMiated  Ad  Clubs 

126 

Compelillon  Mettiods 

«] 

Teaching  the  A/t  of  Adveftlslng 

127 

Short  Cuts  in  Soiling 

Copy  Wnlmg 

84 

Tefe'^lng  the  A/t  ol  Soiling 

I2S 

Short  Cuts  in  Cosi  Keeping 

Cost  KoepinQ 

15 

Ainerkan  Aeaociaticn  (or  Promolinfl  Dflclency 

129 

Short  Cuts  In  Accounting 

Credit  Men's  Association  Talks 

Figure  H:  The  man  tvho  made  the  "57  varieties"  famous  would 
have  no  trouble  keeping  track  of  every  one  of  the  "57"  with  this 
file.  It  takes  care  of  any  7iumbcr  of  subjects  a7td  all  data  can  be 
brought  to  light  instantly.  Plan  75  tells  how  to  keep  this  file  "up 
to  the  minute,"  as  well  as  suggesting  some  other  tested  filing  plans. 

magazine  clipping,  or  design,  setting  forth  other  men's 
methods,  or  whenever  he  makes  a  written  note  of  any  idea 
which  may  occur  to  him,  he  glances  over  this  roster  to 
determine  what  subject  the  material  should  properly  be 
classified  under,  marks  the  corresponding  number  on  it, 
and  places  it  in  the  basket,  from  which  it  reaches  the 


9G  PLAN    SEVENTY-FIVE 


proper  files  in  the  ordinary  routine  of  the  ofSce  or  goes 
to  the  man  who  must  handle  it  further. 

In  this  particular  ease,  such  extensive  use  is  made  of 
this  data  file,  because  of  its  obvious  value,  that  consid- 
erable time  is  required  to  keep  it  up.  For  ordinary  pur- 
poses, however,  the  plan  in  its  modified  form  is  suffi- 
cient: a  typewriter  slip,  containing  only  a  small  num- 
ber of  "data  file"  classifications  and  their  corresponding 
numbers,  may  easily  serve  the  purpose  of  the  average 
desk  worker,  and  may  be  attended  to  when  occasion 
offers,  by  a  stenographer. 

Along  this  same  line  of  gathering  and  filing  informa- 
tion, a  Chicago  executive  has  his  folders  labeled  by  sub- 
ject, then  numbered  consecutively,  and  filed  in  numerical 
order.  An  index  sheet  is  kept  handy,  and  by  running 
down  the  list  of  subjects,  which  is  arranged  alphabet- 
ically, as  far  as  possible,  he  quickly  finds,  without  leaving 
his  desk,  the  number  of  the  desired  folder.  The  value  of 
this  plan  is  that  important  numbers  are  soon  committed 
to  memory  and  it  is  easy  to  indicate  by  number  in  ex- 
actly what  folder  the  file  clerk  should  place  a  clipping 
or  paper. 

Many  items  that  might  otherwise  be  lost  or  forgotten 
are  readily  "remembered"  by  this  file,  and  put  to  valu- 
able use  when  needed. 

Similarly,  a  superintendent  saves  time  by  using  a  sim- 
ple card  index  for  referring  to  all  quotations,  thereby 
eliminating  guessing  at  the  prices  of  important  pur- 
chases. The  index  saved  the  first  j^ear  over  10%  in  the 
cost  of  raw  material.  This  was  possible  because  the 
superintendent's  record  of  quotations  enables  him  to 
avail  himself  of  low  prices  when  he  was  ready  to  buy. 
He  had  the  names  of  the  sources  of  supply  and  their 
prices  where  he  could  refer  to  them  immediately.  He 
didn't  trust  to  his  memory. 


PLAN   SEVENTY-SIX 97 

PLAN  76 

A  PLAN  FOR  SECURING  OTHER  MEN'S 
METHODS 

"I  pick  up  a  surprising  amount  of  useful  knmdedge  by 
following  this  plan,  and  save  time  as  well,''  declares  the 
business  man  who  describes  it  below. 

' '  I  actually  save  time  in  my  office, ' '  declares  one  busi- 
ness man,  "by  utilizing  what  otherwise  would  be  waste 
minutes  outside  the  office.  This  may  sound  strange  but 
it 's  a  fact.  I  have  secured  other  men 's  methods  and  have 
gained  a  number  of  practical  ideas  for  time  and  economy 
by  reading  torn-out  articles  from  magazines  during  odd 
moments  and  on  the  suburban  train. 

"Previous  to  starting  this  plan  I  often  missed  out  on 
helpful  information  in  publications  I  had  *no  time  to 
read.'  Magazines  are  so  bulky  that  I  found  it  incon- 
venient and  annoying  to  carry  them  around.  Even  on 
the  train  they  seemed  to  be  in  the  way,  especially  if  I  was 
burdened  with  bundles.  Now  I  always  carry  in  my  inside 
coat  pocket  and  in  my  left  rear  trousers  pocket  a  few 
good  articles  from  a  recent  magazine  or  trade  journal 
containing  information  worth  my  time.  When  the 
magazines  arrive  each  month  or  week  I  simply  glance 
through  them  hurriedly  and  tear  out  the  interesting 
items  along  my  special  line. 

' '  Once  in  a  while  there  is  a  magazine  so  full  of  methods 
I  want  that  I  don't  tear  it.  Of  course,  during  the  first 
hour  of  the  working  day  when  my  mind  is  fresh  for  the 
more  important  problems  I  rarely  take  time  to  read 
but  there  are  a  number  of  moments  during  the  day  when 
[  do  extract  an  article  from  my  pocket  and  go  over  it. 

"I  find  I  pick  up  a  surprising  amount  of  useful  Imowl- 
edge  by  following  this  plan.  I  have  not  hesitated  at  tear- 
ing the  leaves  out  of  a  book  in  order  to  get  its  points. 


98 PLAN   SEVENTY-SEVEN 

Once  I  kept  a  book  on  the  table  at  home  four  months 
hoping  for  the  time  to  read  it.  It  was  too  large  to  carry- 
in  a  pocket.  So  I  took  out  the  leaves  and  read  it  in  sec- 
tions, completing  it  in  a  week. ' ' 

PLAN  77 
A  PLAN  FOR  CONCENTRATING  WHICH  WORKS 

An  organizer  describes  a  rattling  good  plan  and  shows 
Jiow,  in  cutting  down  time  losses  for  himself,  he  automati- 
cally raised  his  standard  of  work  and  developed  in  a  most 
simple  way  a  valuable  habit  of  concentrating  his  thought. 

"It  is  probably  impossible  to  tell  the  number  of  hours 
I  have  saved  by  learning  to  concentrate,"  writes  a  busy 
executive.  "I  worked  out  this  plan  when  I  found  it 
almost  a  physical  impossibility  to  meet  all  of  my  business 
appointments.  I  would  go  into  a  conference  scheduled 
to  last  for  an  hour  and  find  that  the  time  allotted  would 
be  entirely  consumed  in  unprofitable  discussion  before  a 
point  was  gained  from  which  a  decision  could  be  reached. 
This  would  make  me  late  for  my  next  appointment  or 
interview,  and  often  the  few  minutes  lost  meant  the  loss 
of  many  dollars  on  a  big  deal  of  some  sort. 

* '  I  realized  I  was  to  blame  as  much  as  the  other  men. 
iWe  talked  'about'  the  subject  but  not  definitely  'to'  it. 
I  made  up  my  mind  to  be  a  good  listener.  At  the  next 
conference,  which  was  most  important,  I  remained  quiet 
and  analyzed.  While  the  others  talked  I  kept  my  eyes 
and  mind  focused  upon  a  pad  of  paper  on  the  table. 
I  charted  the  undertaking  under  its  various  heads,  put- 
ting them  down  in  logical  sequence.  WTien  I  had  fin- 
ished I  spoke  and,  by  aid  of  my  notations,  called  the 
men  back  to  the  main  issues. 

"With  a  concrete  plan  before  them,  these  men  quickly 
suggested  a  change  here  or  approval  there.     With  the 


PLAN   SEVENTY-EIGHT 99 

subject  predigested  they  agreed  to  the  whole  arrange- 
ment and  the  work  was  finished  within  the  allotted 
period. 

"This  was  simply  due  to  the  ability  to  concentrate. 
I  was  able  to  meet  the  next  appointment  on  time.  In 
all  my  work  I  pursue  the  same  course.  My  time  is 
almost  always  as  full  as  it  was  on  that  one  occasion.  I 
cannot  afford,  therefore,  to  decide  a  question  once  and 
revise  my  decision  later.  I  cannot  afford  to  rewrite  a 
letter,  a  proposition  or  a  report  in  order  to  make  it  say 
more  exactly  what  I  intended.  I  know  that  success  along 
these  lines  requires  a  predigestion  of  the  subject,  but 
surely  almost  everyone  can  acquire  that  facility." 

PLAN  78 

THE  "WALLBOARD"  PLAN 

Overseeing  the  work  of  others,  or  just  "running  ourselves," 
usually  involves  a  lot  of  detail.  That's  why  we  are  all 
coniinually  looking  for  the  best  ways  to  save  time.  Per- 
haps an  adaptation  of  the  following  plan  will  help. 

The  manager  of  an  eastern  firm  uses  a  "planning 
board"  to  short-cut  his  daily  routine  and  to  watch  gen- 
eral details  with  the  least  time  and  effort.  This  board 
he  finds  easy  to  operate  and  valuable  in  a  great  many 
ways.  It  hangs  on  the  wall  of  his  office  and  really  acta 
as  a  graphic  representation  of  a  card  file  for  tabbing 
progress  of  all  work  under  his  supervision. 

The  device  is  approximately  7  feet  high  by  11  feet 
long.  It  is  built  of  wood  and  has  been  painted  a  mahog- 
any brown,  and  is  divided  into  four  sections — (1)  ideas, 
(2)  plans,  (3)  tasks,  and  (4)  supervision,  as  shown  in 
Figure  15.  Perpendicular  lines  subdivide  each  of  these 
four  sections  into  columns,  each  of  which  is  wide  enough 
to  contain  record  cards  four  inches  wide,  with  a  small 
margin  on  either  side.    The  cards  are  perforated  at  the 


100 


PLAN    SEVENTY-EIGHT 


Figure  15:  This  wallboard  may  do  as  much  for  you  as  it  does  for 
the  eastern  business  man  who  says  it  cut  his  daily  routine  squarely 
in  two.  It  saves  him  a  lot  of  time,  also,  by  "answering^ '  questions 
which  employees  formerly  took  up  his  time  with.  Doubtless  you'll 
admit  that  this  wallboard  has  proved  its  worth.     (See  Plan  7S.) 


top  SO  that  tliey  may  be  readily  attached  to  little  brass 
hooks  provided  at  intervals. 

In  the  upper  left-hand  corner  of  the  board  is  the 
section  marked  ' '  Ideas. ' '  Any  idea  or  suggestion  which 
might  be  useful  to  the  business,  whether  it  occurs  to  the 
executive,  the  manager  of  a  department,  or  an  employee, 
is  briefly  described  on  a  pink  card  which  is  then  hung 
up  under  this  section,  properly  classified,  and  held  for 
consideration  until  the  idea  is  abandoned  or  adopted. 
In  case  of  rejection,  the  card  is  merely  destroyed. 

If  the  idea  is  adopted,  however,  it  becomes  a  definite 
job,  and  is  transferred  to  a  "plan  strip"  which  is  hung 
in  the  plan  section.  This  plan  strip  consists  of  a  "key 
card,"  to  which  is  attached  a  series  of  eight  operation  or 
"task  cards."  Each  of  these  bears  the  name  of  the  job, 
the  name  of  the  person  or  department  to  whom  the  work 
is  assigned,  its  character,  the  job  number  of  the  "key 
card,"  and  the  decimal  number  of  the  individual  ticket 
as  well.  The  "key  card"  itself  bears  merely  a  list  of  the 
different  tasks  to  be  performed. 


PLAN    SEVENTY-EIGHT 101 

"When  work  is  actually  started  on  any  particular  job, 
the  tickets  are  all  detached,  the  "key  card"  is  hung  in 
the  "Supervision"  section,  and  each  operation  or  indi- 
vidual task  card  is  hung  under  the  name  of  the  indi- 
vidual employee  or  department  assigned  to  that  task. 
The  name  of  each  employee  appears  in  a  small  metal 
cardholder.  With  this  device  it  is  only  necessary  to 
glance  at  the  "Tasks"  division  to  determine  how  many 
different  duties  have  been  assigned  and  to  whom.  The 
manager  is  able  also  to  note  quickly  what  each  employee 
is  working  on.  In  this  way  he  is  saved  a  lot  of  ques- 
tioning and  wondering  over  the  condition  of  the  business. 
Without  delay  he  can  apprise  himself  of  facts,  and  take 
any  action  which  is  necessary. 

By  referring  to  the  "Supervision"  section,  he  can 
tell  instantly  the  condition  of  each  job,  for  the  number 
of  missing  tickets  indicates  the  incomplete  work.  As 
fast  as  the  tasks  are  completed  the  tickets  are  immedi- 
ately hung  in  their  proper  position  under  the  * '  key  card ' ' 
in  the  "Supervision"  section. 

This  chart,  besides  its  other  advantages,  enables  the 
business  head  to  apportion  all  work  among  his  staff  with 
ease.  It  prevents  congestion  in  any  one  channel  and 
saves  useless  trouble  in  handling  tasks.  Planning  ahead 
is  thus  accomplished  more  readily.  When  plans  have 
been  completed,  the  cards  are  left  hanging  for  reference 
until  the  executive  has  no  further  use  for  them.  As  an 
additional  means  of  visualizing  the  work  and  to  conserve 
his  time,  colors  are  used  effectively  on  the  board.  The 
"plan  strips"  are  blue. 

In  case  additional  helpers  are  required  on  a  job,  a 
buff  ticket  records  the  fact,  and  the  card  is  hung  in  the 
column  under  the  name  of  the  employee  to  whom  the 
assistant  is  assigned.  Red  tickets  call  attention  to  i*ush 
tasks. 


102 FLAN    SEVENTY-NINE 

PLAN  79 
HERE'S  A  PLAN  THAT'S  "DIFFERENT" 

You  might  thhik  offhand  that  this  flan  wouldn't  in- 
terest you  in  the  least,  especially  if  your  duties  are  unlike 
those  of  the  manager  who  dislikes  it.  On  the  other  hand, 
tiseful  ideas  often  come  from  the  most  unexpected  sources 
and  a  glance  through  this  plan  may  well  give  you  a  sug- 
gestion for  saving  your  time. 

"I  have  found  that  one  of  the  most  difficult  comers  to 
turn  in  good  business  management  is  the  shift  from  the 
road  to  office  work  and  back  again, ' '  says  a  general  man- 
ager. "The  man  who  travels  intermittently,  and  at  the 
same  time  supervises  departments  in  the  head  office,  is 
assailed  by  two  sets  of  details — those  of  the  field  and 
those  of  the  desk. 

"I  have  worked  out  a  plan  which  enables  me  to  shift 
from  one  kind  of  environment  to  the  other  without  losing 
time  in  either.  In  fact  I  have  been  able  to  save  many 
precious  minutes,  and  handle  my  job  more  satisfactorily. 
This  is  the  way  I  dispose  of  details : 

"1.  All  data  necessary  for  road  work  are  kept  in  a 
separate  file  and  consist  of  copies  of  certain  records  and 
correspondence  in  the  general  file.  Contracts,  statistical 
tables,  blueprints  or  other  items  needed  only  at  rare 
intervals,  or  possibly  not  at  all,  are  indexed.  Cross-ref- 
erence slips  are  included  in  the  road  file. 

"2.  Road  information  has  precedence  over  office  in- 
formation where  either  must  be  delayed.  This  keeps 
the  road  file  always  ready  for  an  emergency. 

"3.  An  assistant  handles  all  necessary  work  with  me 
in  outline.  He  states  the  methods  he  would  pursue  dur- 
ing my  absence.    Thus  I  train  an  understudy. 

"4.  To  eliminate  waste  efi'ort,  I  have  the  office  tasks 
I  must  do  scheduled  in  the  order  of  their  time  importance, 
ready  for  immediate  disposal  on  my  return. 


PLAN   EIGHTY  103 


"5.  "When  in  the  field  I  receive  a  daily  summary  list- 
ing all  important  details  which  have  been  given 
attention. ' ' 

PLAN  80 
A  PLAN  WHICH  SAVES  TIME  AUTOMATICALLY 

"The  best  I  have  ever  seen,"  says  the  man  who  has  put  it 
into  practice.  If  your  business  involves  the  situation  he 
has  in  mind  you'll  see  how  advantageous  the  arrangement 
is — and  even  if  it  doesn't,  it's  only  fair  to  admit  the  big 
idea  of  his  plan  is  not  limited  to  just  this  one  applica- 
tion, by  any  means. 

"With  the  aid  of  a  unique  electrical  device,  consisting 
of  an  annunciator  with  60  indicators  hanging  on  the 
wall  in  front  of  the  desk  and  a  flat  metal  push-button 
board  that  contains  a  corresponding  number  of  buttons, 
the  manager  of  one  company  has  effected  a  time  saving 
in  handling  interviews  with  his  department  heads  and 
assistants.  At  the  same  time  he  has  made  it  possible 
to  select  the  order  in  which  he  shall  see  his  lieutenants 
and  thus  regulate  his  appointments  by  their  importance, 

''Here  is  one  of  the  best  time  and  labor-saving  plans 
for  an  executive  that  I  have  ever  seen,"  he  says,  "and 
so  far  as  I  know  it  is  the  only  one  in  the  country." 

But  that  does  not  mean  that  he  either  has  or  would 
want  an  exclusive  claim  to  the  device.  It  may  be  in- 
stalled in  any  office  without  violating  any  patent  right, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  it  consists  merely  of  the  com- 
mon, ordinary  electric  push-button  and  annunciator, 
familiar  in  offices  and  homes  throughout  the  country. 
It  is  the  use  to  which  ordinary  fixtures  are  put  that  make 
them  unusual. 

The  indicators  on  the  annunciator  connect  with  as 
many  offices  of  the  dopjirtment  heads  of  the  company. 
If  Mr.  Rounds,  room  228,  wants  to  see  the  general  man- 


104 PLAN   EIGHTY-ONE ^ 

agcr,  he  merely  presses  a  button  on  his  desk  and  the 
annunciator  in  the  chief's  office  proclaims  the  fact.  And 
if  the  manager  is  ready  to  see  Mr.  Rounds  he  reaches 
out  to  the  little  flat-topped  stand  at  the  right  of  his 
desk  and  presses  the  button  to  room  228,  which  notifies 
Mr.  Eounds  that  he  may  come  at  once  and  which  auto- 
matically resets  the  indicator  on  the  wall. 

Do  a  dozen  or  two  dozen  officials  want  to  see  him  at 
the  same  time?  He  glances  at  the  board  to  determine 
which  one  he  shall  see  first,  and  summons  him.  No  de- 
partment head  comes  to  the  office  until  he  receives  the 
answering  signal. 

No  time  is  lost  in  waiting  in  the  anteroom.  No  time 
is  lost  in  sending  or  receiving  telephone  calls.  And 
no  intrusion  in  person  or  by  wire  is  possible  during  a 
conference.  The  plan,  this  manager  says,  can  be  adapted 
to  the  office  of  any  business  executive  who  has  occasion 
to  consult  frequently  with  his  associates. 

PLAN  81 

THIS  PLAN  IS  WORTH  $10,000  TO  THE  MAN 
WHO  USES  IT 

No  doubt  you'll  agree  after  reading  this  plan  that  this 
business  man  is  of  the  always-wp-and-doing  type,  and  that 
his  plan  is  not  only  a  profitable  time  saver  for  him,  but 
one  which  most  of  us  can  use. 

"I  have  a  filing  cabinet  which  I  can  call  my  '$10,000 
file,'  "  says  a  Georgia  business  man,  "and  I  sincerely 
believe  it's  worth  more  than  that  to  me  as  a  time-saving 
plan,  for  it  matters  not  what  subject  I  want,  what  idea, 
plan  or  clipping ;  it  can  usually  be  found  in  this  mine  of 
information,  located  just  at  the  right  of  my  desk. 

' '  For  filing  any  item  of  interest  I  use  a  plain  sheet  of 
paper  with  the  word  'Subject,'  a  blank  line,  and  a  file 


PLAN  EIGHTY-TWO 105 

number  printed  at  the  top.  All  my  clippings,  pictures, 
and  photographs  are  pasted  on  these  sheets  and  filed 
under  the  proper  head.  As  the  pasted  leaves  would 
ordinarily  occupy  too  much  room,  we  use  an  old-time 
copying  press  to  press  them  out  smooth. 

"Another  feature  of  my  desk  plan  is  a  simple  method 
of  keeping  daily  memoranda  in  connection  with  my  mail 
trays.  On  reaching  my  desk  in  the  morning,  I  find  all 
letters  needing  my  attention  in  a  basket  on  my  left.  As 
I  answer  the  letters  they  go  into  the  basket  on  my  right. 
When  the  secretary  takes  this  basket,  she  puts  another  in 
its  place. 

"It  is  her  job  to  keep  number  2  empty;  and  mine  to 
keep  number  1  empty.  Each  basket  has  a  handle  about 
3  by  10  inches  attached  to  one  end  in  which  movable 
memorandum  cards  are  inserted  eveiy  morning.  Cards 
are  made  out  for  each  day  of  the  month,  one  for  her  and 
another  for  me.  Most  of  these  tabs  are  always  in  a  stand 
before  me  so  that  I  can  jot  down  items  that  are  far  ahead, 
and  compare  figures  with  those  for  the  same  month  last 
year. 

PLAN  82 

HAVE  YOU  TRIED  THIS  "THINK-OUT-LOUD" 
PLAN  FOR  HANDLING  YOUR  BIG 
PROBLEMS? 

The  man  whose  -plan  is  described  below  ivas  up  against  a 
problem  a  lot  of  lis  encounter.  lie  settled  if,  as  you  will 
see,  in  an  unusual  yet  ''funny-I-didnt-think-of-it-before" 
manner. 

An  executive,  who  realized  more  and  more  that  his 
opportunities  for  constructive  thinking  were  narrowing 
because  of  the  rapid  accumulation  of  detail,  hit  on  this 
simple  plan  for  developing  new  ideas.'  In  its  operation 
he  has  measurably  increased  his  value  to  the  business. 


106 


PLAN   EIGHTY-TWO 


Figure  16:  Have  you  ever  looked  hurriedly  through  your  desk  for 
an  important  piece  of  rush  work  and  failed  to  find  it?  Then  how 
you  chafed  at  the  resulting  loss  of  time!  Here's  a  desk  arrange- 
ment— you'll  find  it  fidly  described  in  Plan  83 — which  swept  aside 
this  sort  of  confusion  for  one  man.    It  cost  nothing,  either. 

Every  morning,  as  soon  as  he  has  looked  through  his 
most  important  mail,  he  dictates  to  his  stenographer  for 
15  minutes.  What  he  says  is  not  addressed  to  anyone. 
It  often  does  not  even  consist  of  complete  sentences. 
He  is  simply  thinking  aloud  about  improvements  and 
ideas  for  the  welfare  of  the  business,  and  he  finds  he  can 
concentrate  better  in  this  manner. 

After  he  has  finished  dictating,  the  stenographer  tj^es 
the  suggestions  and  files  them  in  a  looseleaf  book  kept 
for  the  purpose.  It  takes  the  sales  manager  but  a  mo- 
ment to  glance  regularly  over  this  diary  and  judge  what 
his  ideas  may  be  worth.  He  crosses  off  those  which  seem 
visionary  or  useless.  He  thus  frees  his  mind  for  work 
on  the  larger  problems  and  improvements  which  con- 
stantly come  to  him  for  decision. 


PLAN   EIGHTY-THREE 107 

At  his  invitation,  other  executives  of  the  company 
drop  in  once  a  week  or  so  and  run  over  the  pages  he  has 
added  to  the  volume.  If  they  see  any  suggestion  which 
strikes  them  as  having  possible  value  they  make  a  note 
of  it  for  later  discussion  with  him.  In  this  way  his  plan 
also  brings  him  more  often  into  contact  with  other  think- 
ers in  the  organization  and  he  gets  a  broader  viewpoint 
of  his  work. 

"But,  after  all,  the  best  feature  about  the  plan,*'  he 
says,  **is  that  for  at  least  15  minutes  every  day,  I  keep 
my  mind  fixed  intently  on  constructive  phases  of  the 
business.  There  is  always  so  much  executive  detail 
which  must  be  done  that  really  progressive  planning  is 
likely  to  be  thrust  to  one  side,  without  a  provision  like 
this. 

A  good  many  of  my  ideas  don't  amount  to  shucks; 
but  if  I  only  hit  one  real  plan  for  boosting  this  business 
each  month,  I  have  gained  on  myself.  The  fact  is,  my 
average  of  workable  ideas  is  a  good  deal  higher  than 
that." 

PLAN  83 

Tins  PLAN  CORRECTED  A  LOSS  OF  TIME  BY 
REMOVING  THE  CAUSE 

No  doubt  youve  had  this  experience — drop  everything 
you're  doing  and  wait  for  supplies  of  one  sort  or  another 
when  you  unexpectedly  ran  short  of  them.  That  is  why 
you'll  appreciate  this  plan.  It  isn't  a  cast  iron  method 
to  be  applied  to  every  situation,  but  just  a  suggestion  for 
preventing  recurrences.  It  organizes  your  desk  into  a 
"partner." 

A  standardized  desk  arrangement  and  standard  desk 
equipment  is  a  western  manager's  plan  to  prevent  com- 
plaints due  to  lack  of  desk  supplies  and  the  resulting 
time  waste. 

First,  the  desks  are  divided  into  three  classes — A,  B, 


108 


PLAN   EIGHTY-THREE 


and  C.  Each  class  of  desk  is  given  a  standard  arrange- 
ment, so  that  any  person  can  go  to  any  desk  iu  the  office 
and  find  whatever  he  is  looking  for.  A  Class  A  desk  is 
illustrated  in  Figure  16.  Standard  equipment  and 
supplies  are  put  in  each  desk  according  to  its  classifica- 
tion, and  printed  slips  are  in  stock  for  the  office  boys, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that  the  supplies  do  not  run  out. 


EQUIPMENT  FOR  DESKS-CLASS  A 

TOOLS 

EQUiPKENT 

SYMBOL 

DESCRIPTION 

QUANT- 

LOCATION 

SYMBOL 

LOCATION 

QUANTITY           1 

ITY 

IN  DESK 

MAXIMUM 

MINIMUM 

SFRN 

Calendar 

A1  (hung  up) 

SFRP 

Complaint  sheets 

A2  (box) 

10 

25 

SSEE 

Ink  eradicator 

Al  (box) 

SFRB 

Rush  jabsls 

PIC-PID 

25 

50 

SSCK 

Ink  eraser 

A1  (box) 

SFSR 

Stores  orders 

A2  (box) 

25 

SO 

SSEP 

Pencil  eraser 

Al  (box) 

SFXR 

Roq.  to  purchase 

A2  (box) 

25 

50 

SSPH 

Penholder 

Al  (D— On  top  2 

SPED 

Desk  blotter 

Top 

1 

2 

SSV04 

Out  desk-basket 

On  top 

SPS4 

Hand  blotters 

AIC-RID 

6 

12 

SSVON 

In  desk-basket 

On  lop 

SSOG 

Gom  clips 

PI  (box) 

10 

50 

SSVKO 

Ink-well 

On  top 

SSCP 

Pins 

Top 

100 

200 

SSVM 

Mucilage-pot 

On  top 

SSCR 

Rubber  bands 

Al 

50 

200 

SSVP 

Pen-tray 

On  top 

SSVVR 

Reg.  litterhoads 

Al  (box) 

to 

50 

SSVH 

Waste-basket 

Floor 

SSCIM 

McCall  tastnnor 

PI  ibox) 

5 

25 

SSXB 

Blotter-pad 

On  top 

SSLM 

Medium  poncils 

1  top— Al 

1 

6 

SSxIBR 

Ruler 

Bl 

SFRC 

Chirse  sheets 

A2  (biz) 

10 

25 

Figure  17:  Even  a  well-ordered  desk  may  not  be  effective  in  the 
long  run  if  you  are  constantly  out  of  supplies — pencils,  blotters,  and 
the  like.  This  equipment  sheet,  used  in  one  office  to  check  up  the 
"needs' '  of  each  desk,  keeps  all  the  cogs  of  the  work  meshing  smoothly. 
It  ought  to  lessen  irritating  questions  like:    "Where's  a  pin?" 

All  desks  are  inspected  twice  a  week.  In  Figure  17 
is  shown  one  of  the  slips  by  which  an  office  boy  checks 
up  the  equipment  and  supplies  for  a  Class  B  desk.  Every 
item  is  specified,  with  its  symbol,  standard  quantity, 
proper  placing  and — for  supplies — the  maximum  and 
minimum  quantities. 

The  standardized  desk  plan  of  another  office  manager 
is  indicated  in  Figure  18.  It  really  is  an  organized 
"desk  partner."  You  wall  notice  that  the  papers,  rec- 
ords, and  memoranda  which  the  executive  needs  are  kept 


PLAN   EIGHTY-FOUR  109 


in  the  two  deep  vertical  files  at  his  right  hand,  while 
general  data  and  memoranda,  stationery  supplies,  and 
the  like,  occupy  the  four  drawers  at  the  left.  The  stand- 
ard arrangement  for  the  top  is  as  shown ;  ruler,  scissors, 
and  other  large  tools  are  kept  in  the  middle  drawer. 
Erasers,  clips,  pins,  and  extra  pencils  are  stored  in  a 
tray  in  the  top  left-hand  drawer. 

PLAN  84 

HERE'S  ONE  WAY  TO  GET  THE  JUMP  ON 
mRITATING  TRIFLES 

This  flan  is  a  combination  of  two  ideas  used  by  as  many 
busy  men.  You  II  admit  there  s  no  need  of  worrying  over 
details  which  you  can  turn  over  to  others,  and  that's  why 
their  knacks  for  saving  time  should  interest  you. 

An  executive,  who  assigns  daily  to  his  assistants  a 
number  of  detail  tasks  which  are  individually  of  such 
importance  that  none  can  be  permitted  to  be  overlooked 
or  delayed,  has  overcome  the  worry  and  time  loss  so  often 
coincident  wdth  such  supervision,  by  using  a  small  dupli- 
cate-leaf memorandum  book  as  a  means  of  checking  up 
the  work. 

This  plan  obviates  unnecessary  personal  inquiry  and 
follow-up,  and  is  a  relief  from  irritating  trifles.  All 
sheets  in  the  book  have  printed  at  the  top  :    "Memo  from 

Mr.  Eice  to ."    The  blank  line  is  left  for 

the  name  of  the  assistant  who  receives  the  instructions. 
Another  line  is  provided  for  the  date.  The  sheets  are 
serially  numbered  in  pairs. 

Each  task  is  assigned  on  one  of  these  memoranda  in 
duplicate.  The  original  is  detached  and  handed  to  the 
assistant  while  a  carbon  copy  of  the  same  serial  number 
remains  in  the  book  on  the  executive's  desk.  A  quick 
look  through  the  memoranda  each  morning  shows  him 


110 


PLAN    EIGHTY-FOUR 


DETAIL  OF  DESK    OFFICE  MANAGER 


SUPPLIES  AND  STATIONERY 


CENERAL  DATA  AND  MEMORANDA 


TOP 
IN  BASKET         OUT  BASKET 


INK  MUCIL-  r/////l 

VVELL       PENTRAY      *SE     \////j__ 


O 


ENVaOPS,    CARDS,  BUNKS 
AND  THE  LIKE 


AT  BACK 

BUNK  FORMS  IN 
MOST  FREQUENT  USE 

FRONT 
CURRENT  MAHEBS 

(IN  UPRIGHT  FILE) 

PERSONAL  MATTERS,  ONLY  DRAWER 
ALLOWED  TO  BE  LOCKED 


AT  BACX 

BLANKS  IN  LESS 
FREQUENT  USE 

FRONT 
LEHERSAND  PAPERS 

KEPT  FOR  REFERENCE 
(l!J  UPRIGHT  FILE) 

Figure  IS:  Putting  a  desk  in  as  effective  "fighting  trim"  as  the 
deck  of  a  battleship  saves  time  for  many  a  busy  man.  Here's  a  plan 
for  standardizing  desk  arrangement  which  helped  out  wonderfully 
in  one  concern.  Plan  84-  tells  how  to  put  this  arrangement  to  work. 
Read  it  and  maybe  then  you,  too,  can  find  things  more  quickly. 

just  what  work  is  outstanding,  how  it  is  divided  up,  and 
what  progress  the  force  is  making.  Each  item  also  indi- 
cates to  him  in  black  and  white  the  value  and  speed  of 
ea<3h  assistant.  He  can  also  tell  at  once  whether  any 
work  is  lagging  and  go  after  it. 

When  a  task  is  completed  the  original  "memo"  is 
returned  to  him  wath  a  notation  on  its  face  to  that  effect. 
A  checkmark  is  then  made  on  the  carbon  copy  in  the 
book  and  the  original  destroyed.  By  tearing  off  the 
upper  right-hand  comers  of  all  sheets  representing  com- 
pleted tasks,  those  still  unfinished  can  be  quickly  seen. 

The  plan  thus  not  only  serves  as  a  ready  indicator  of 
the  standing  of  all  assigned  work,  but  provides  a  check 
against  any  of  it  being  forgotten. 


PLAN   EIGHTY-FIVE 111 

In  another  concern  various  requisitions,  orders,  and 
items  from  assistants  require  the  0.  K.  of  the  manager 
on  both  the  original  and  carbon  copy.  His  minutes  are 
■"aluable,  so  he  cuts  down  this  necessary  routine  by  using 
a  punch  bearing  his  initials.  This  instantly  and  plainly 
marks  both  the  original  and  duplicate  by  one  motion. 

PLAN  85 

"I  CANT  BEGIN  TO  TELL  HOW  MUCH  TIME 
AND  WORRY  THIS  PLAN  HAS  SAVED" 

So  wriies  the  Iowa  man  who  describes  it  below  and  it 
certainly  seems  adaptable  to  many  circumstances.  You  II 
concede  that  he  has  surely  received  much  benefit  from  it 
— so  why  not  you,  too? 

"After  I  had  installed  a  method  of  keeping  track  of 
the  sales  in  each  department  in  order  to  manage  my 
business  better,"  writes  an  Iowa  business  man,  "I  still 
found  I  was  pressed  for  the  time  to  analyze  the  figures 
and  adiust  the  stocks  to  insure  the  most  profit.  I  finally 
hit  upon  a  plan  to  overcome  this  hitch. 

"I  had  a  blackboard  put  up  on  the  office  wall  opposite 
my  desk.  At  the  top  I  put  three  headings,  'estimate,' 
'actual,'  and  'remarks,'  and  left  a  space  for  the  date, 

'week  ending . '    At  the  left  of  the  board  I  listed 

the  various  departments.  Each  Monday  morning  I  jot 
down  in  round  numbers  in  the  column  under  'estimate' 
what  I  feel  each  department  should  do  that  week  or 
rather  what  I  should  like  to  see  done.  Then  at  the  close 
of  the  week  my  bookkeeper  enters  from  her  records, 
under  '  actual, '  the  net  sales  from  each  source.  She  also 
adds  under  'remarks'  any  special  point  in  connection 
with  each  department's  showing. 

"To  visualize  the  results  even  more  emphatically  she 
uses  white  and  red  tabs  on  the  board.    For  instance,  if  a 


112 PLAN   EIGHTY-FIVE 

department  has  gone  away  below  previous  sales  or  is 
showing  other  signs  of  sleepiness  she  indicates  the  danger 
with  a  red  signal  hung  on  a  hook  at  the  left  of  the  actual 
figures.  If  a  department  is  showing  up  unusually  well 
she  displays  a  white  tab  to  show  me  that  I  need  have  no 
concern  in  that  direction. 

**I  find  the  plan  has  some  splendid  points.  Instead 
of  having  to  go  over  a  lot  of  figures  and  keep  track  of 
weekly  reports  on  my  desk,  I  have  before  me  out  of  the 
way  of  other  details  a  bird's-eye  view  of  each  week's 
business.  If  I  am  rushed  the  first  part  of  the  week  I  need 
not  feel  compelled  to  go  into  a  thorough  analysis  of  all 
the  figures.  I  take  the  red-signaled  amounts  first  and 
immediately  get  busy  to  find  the  remedy.  Often  I  am 
able  to  change  the  sales  policy  of  some  department  in 
time  to  overcome  what  might  have  been  a  serious  loss  and 
so,  you  see,  my  plan  pays  in  actual  cash  as  well  as  in 
peace  of  mind. 

"As  the  board  is  so  easy  to  glance  at,  it  gives  me  an 
opportunity  between  times  to  study  the  business  we 
have  done  and  work  out  new  ideas  for  increasing  sales. 
I  like  to  see  how  near  the  actual  figures  come  to  my 
estimates.  As  a  result,  the  board  is  really  an  inspiration 
to  push  sales  all  over  the  store.  There's  no  danger  of 
my  forgetting  that  weekly  report,  because  it's  right  be- 
fore me  all  the  time.  The  board  has  a  curtain  in  case 
I  desire  for  any  reason  to  cover  up  the  figures.  I  can't 
begin  to  tell  how  much  time  and  worry  this  plan  has 
saved." 

"I  find  also,"  this  man  continues,  "that  my  minor 
executives,  and  even  some  of  the  other  workers,  use  the 
board  as  a  guide  to  their  own  work.  When  they  obtain 
information  about  the  business  from  the  board,  instead  of 
from  me,  time  is  saved  all  around,  business  receives  a 
fresh  impetus,  and  management  is  much  easier." 


PLAN    EIGHTY-SIX 113 

PLAN  86 
"SAVES  A  LOT  OF  TIME" 

You  may  say  that  this  plan  is  a  simple  one,  and  perhaps 
it  is;  still  very  often  the  most  simple  of  ideas,  once  put  to 
work  in  either  an  office  or  a  store,  produce  the  most  sur- 
prising results. 

"In  considering  the  source  of  the  plan  it  has  occurred 
to  me  that  often  a  good  suggestion  may  be  available  in 
other  businesses  for  my  own  work,  I  now  make  it  a 
point  to  watch  for  good  ideas  in  out-of-the-way  places." 

"I  have  an  interview  plan,"  says  a  business  man 
located  in  the  Middle  West,  ''which  saves  a  lot  of  my 
time  and  insures  obtaining  the  information  I  desire. 
Formerly  I  often  was  annoyed  after  a  regular  caller  had 
left  my  office  to  find  that  a  particular  subject  I  intended 
to  take  up  with  him  had  been  forgotten.  Especially  was 
this  the  case  when  anyone  called  unexpectedly. 

"To  overcome  the  difficulty  I  started  a  little  index  of 
my  business  callers,  with  their  names  arranged  alpha- 
betically. This  I  keep  in  a  small  box  on  my  desk.  When- 
ever any  item  which  I  may  desire  to  take  up  with  one  of 
these  men  occurs  to  me  I  jot  it  down  in  a  word  or  two 
on  his  card. 

"Whenever  an  habitual  caller  is  announced,  it  takes 
but  the  time  he  spends  in  walking  from  the  outside  office 
to  my  door  to  glance  at  the  topics  on  his  record  card  and 
prime  myself  for  the  interview.  As  the  names  all  show 
up  clearly  on  tabs  and  are  few  in  number,  no  effort  is 
required  to  find  the  information.  When  the  visitor 
enters  my  office  I  know  exactly  what  I  want  to  talk  over 
with  him  and  I  shape  the  interview  accordingly. 

"This  preparation,  too,  saves  a  great  deal  of  time  in 
conducting  an  interview,  for  it  automatically  tends  to 
make  it  more  concise.     As  a  result,  I  never  let  a  man 


114 PLAN   EIGHTY-SEVEN 

saunter  in  and  start  talking  at  random.  I  get  my  busi- 
ness, including  the  topics  noted  on  liis  card,  finished  first 
and  close  the  subject.  Then  I  ask  him  what  I  can  do 
for  him  and  am  able  to  get  through  with  the  call  in 
record  time.  Further,  by  conducting  my  interview  with 
him  first  in  the  rapid-fire  style  of  a  busy  man,  he  becomes 
inspired  with  somewhat  the  same  spirit  and  gets  to  the 
point  in  half  or  a  quarter  of  the  time  he  would  otherwise 
take." 

PLAN  87 

"SAVED  ME  HALF  A  DAY."  DECLARES  THE  MAN 
WHO  USES  THIS  PLAN 

Sounds  too  qood  to  he  true?  Maybe  it  does,  but  the 
executive  below  who  uses  it  tells  you  exactly  how  he  -pius  it 
across  and,  as  you  read,  you  II  see  it's  not  so  impossible 
tifter  all. 

"I  frequently  save  as  much  as  half  a  day  of  my  time," 
says  a  Detroit  executive,  "simply  by  having  my  schedule 
arranged  to  insure  the  right  'kick-off'  at  the  start. 
Thus  I  find  that  it  pays  to  take  the  subject  of  psychology 
into  consideration  and  that  there  is  a  best  way  to  direct 
both  myself  and  those  under  me. 

"I  formerly  jumped  into  my  correspondence  im- 
mediately on  my  arrival  at  the  office.  The  time  would 
go  by  quickly  and  there  would  always  be  what  seemed 
necessary  interruptions.  One  after  another  my  men 
would  ask  for  'just  a  minute'  to  take  up  some  questions 
and  noon  would  come  upon  me  with  no  conference  held 
to  consider  important  topics  with  all  the  selling  force  at 
the  same  time. 

' '  I  finally  got  around  to  the  conference,  the  men  were 
restless  and  I  was  more  or  less  fagged.  Consequently 
we  didn't  make  the  most  of  our  conference  time.  I 
quietly  went  on  a  still  hunt  to  see  where  I  was  wrong 


PLAN   EIGHTY-EIGHT 115 

and  quickly  concluded  that  I  started  the  day  poorly.  My 
new  plan  solves  the  difficulty. 

"Now  my  conference  with  the  salesmen  comes  first.  We 
go  right  at  our  problems  when  we  are  all  fresh  and  we 
take  care  of  any  point  which  may  come  up  and  settle  it  on 
the  spot.  There  is  rapid  action  at  these  early  morning 
meetings  and  we  get  away  with  items  in  short  order  that 
before  bothered  me  at  intervals  during  most  of  the  day. 

"Not  only  does  this  early  meeting  ginger  me  up  for 
my  other  duties  but  it  starts  the  men  off  with  more 
'pep'  as  well.  After  the  conference  I  reserve  a  few 
moments  for  the  individual  salesmen  who  may  wish  an 
interview  with  me  on  any  particular  point  of  the  work. 

"Next  I  tackle  my  correspondence.  As  our  day  be- 
gins at  8  :30  it  is  usually  10  or  a  little  later  when  I  start 
on  letters.  Under  propitious  circumstances  I  finish  in 
time  to  spend  half  an  hour  in  tabbing  on  paper  the  next 
morning's  conference  subjects  and  other  work.  This  in 
itself  saves  time  on  the  tasks  of  the  following  day.  Of ten^ 
now,  I  have  opportunity  before  noon  to  do  reading. 

PLAN  88 

A  PLAN  WHICH  CONSERVES  TIME  FOR 
IMPORTANT  PROBLEMS 

At  first  glance  you  might  wonder  if  you  could  adapt  this 
plan  to  your  own  uses.  Not  directly,  perhaps,  but  it 
illustrates  several  interesting  fundamentals,  and  whether 
your  business  is  large  or  small,  theyWe  worth  considering. 

An  executive  in  the  Middle  West  has  cut  down  his 
correspondence  detail  work  to  a  negligible  minimum  by 
planning  far  enough  ahead  to  avoid  receiving  more  than 
a  few  letters  to  answer.  Here  is  a  point  on  business 
analysis  that  offers  everj^  man  a  suggestive  line  of 
thought. 


116 PLAN   EIGHTY-EIGHT 

The  unit  of  money  taken  in  for  this  company  is  5 
cents,  and  every  nickel  means,  perhaps,  a  transaction 
with  a  more  or  less  "touchy"  individual.  The  unit  of 
operation  is  a  car  which  may  transport  a  hundred  of 
these  fault-finding  individuals.  Anything  which  will 
start  these  people  to  writing  letters  will  bring  a  flood 
of  mail  that  an  army  of  clerks  could  not  cope  with.  Any 
system  permitting  a  detail  to  break  across  the  line  be- 
tween department  head  and  executive  will  end  in  an 
avalanche  that  will  overwhelm  the  executive.  In  the  end 
he  will  spend  his  days  signing  papers.  He  will  have  no 
time  save  for  non-essentials. 

This  president  blocked  that  gap  in  the  dike  before  it 
ever  appeared.  He  departmentalized  the  company's 
work  so  thoroughly  that  serious  complaints  and  problems 
requiring  his  personal  attention  are  rare.  He  was  far- 
seeing  enough  to  select  superintendents  and  heads  of 
departments  whose  work  would  be  performed  so  diligent- 
ly that  a  flood  of  mail  would  be  impossible.  He  figures 
his  small  stack  of  mail  now  is  nine  tenths  less  than  it 
otherwise  would  be. 

To  avoid  further  loss  of  time  and  motion,  there  is  a 
meeting  of  each  department  once  a  week;  likewise  a 
conference  once  a  week  for  all  department  heads.  This 
latter  meeting  hears  and  discusses  the  problems  in  each, 
department  and  eliminates  interdepartmental  letter 
writing  by  concentrating  nearly  all  discussions  and  de- 
cisions into  that  one  session.  Exit,  therefore,  a  useless 
pile  of  mail. 

' '  Our  men  talk  it  out  rather  than  write  it  out, ' '  says 
the  business  man.  * '  That  gives  me  time  for  more  profit- 
able tasks  than  signing  papers  or  reading  them. ' ' 

He  has  worked  out  other  detail  methods  making  for 
personal  efficiency.    For  example,  his  secretary  takes  the 


PLAN   EIGHTY-NINE 117 

name  and  business  connection  of  everyone  who  calls  him 
on  the  telephone  and  hands  him  a  slip  of  paper  contain- 
ing this  information  before  he  lifts  his  receiver.  At  a 
glance  he  gets  facts  which  sometimes  would  take  a  min- 
ute to  convey.  That  saves  a  little  time.  It  also  avoids 
occasional  misunderstandings.  The  method  requires  a 
secretary  with  real  intelligence  and  considerable  discre- 
tion, of  course.  But  he  knows  from  experience  that  it 
makes  for  time  economy. 

PLAN  89 

ALTHOUGH  10  YEARS  OLD,  THIS  PLAN  IS 
STILL  SAVING  TIME 

Ten  years  is  a  real  record  of  service  for  one  idea!  You 
may  say  "it's  too  old,''  but  perhaps  there  is  an  idea  in  it 
that  you  can  turn  into  a  time  saver  for  you  in  a  brand 
new  way. 

One  manager,  who  found  himself  worrying  over  a  mass 
of  detail,  took  liis  work  to  pieces  one  day  about  10  years 
ago  and  out  of  the  resulting  analysis  devised  an  entirely 
new  plan  for  handling  his  routine. 

At  the  outset  he  saw  that  he  must  have  more  time 
for  his  own  creative  work  and  for  directing,  with  less 
effort,  the  work  of  others.  But  he  feared  that  small 
details  would  be  neglected  which  might  lead  to  serious 
consequences. 

To  put  a  check  on  these  details  and  also  save  as  much 
time  as  possible  he  started  a  file  strictly  for  his  own 
use.  Prom  this  file  he  excluded  all  papers  that  properly 
belonged  to  the  general  office  file,  but  retained  the  same 
arrangement  of  subjects  as  the  general  file.  In  the  lower 
right  double  drawer  of  his  desk  he  placed  31  ordinary 
vertical  file  folders,  numbered  from  1  to  31,  representing 
the  days  of  the  month. 


118 PLAN   EIGHTY-NINE 

These  folders  take  anything  from  a  scrap  of  sand- 
paper to  a  standard  size  letterhead  and  this  manager 
uses  them  as  a  sort  of  universal  reminder.  He  dedi- 
cated the  right-hand  side  pocket  of  his  coat  as  a  tem- 
porary extension  to  this  file,  and  in  it  he  slips  any  mem- 
oranda that  he  takes  when  away  from  his  desk.  These 
are  jotted  down  on  any  piece  of  paper  that  happens  to 
be  handy. 

Every  morning  he  pulls  out  the  folder  for  that  day, 
goes  through  it  for  items  of  immediate  importance  and 
then  files  in  it  the  notes  and  letters  that  have  accumulated 
in  his  pocket,  putting  the  folder  back  of  the  other  folders 
to  serve  as  a  filing  space  for  the  same  day  a  month  later. 
Some  of  the  notes  can,  of  course,  be  destroyed,  as  the 
items  to  which  they  refer  have  been  disposed  of.  Some 
memoranda  must  be  refiled,  and  others  are  extracted 
from  the  file  to  be  acted  upon.  Some  recurring  items 
(such  as  monthly  reports)  have  a  sheet  or  sheets  which 
come  out  every  month;  these  are  at  once  returned  as  a 
reminder  for  the  following  month  when,  of  course,  they 
again  come  to  hand  for  attention. 

All  the  petty  checks  which  are  so  necessary  in  business 
are  represented  by  a  note;  for  example,  "Check  up 
mailing  system"  means  that  it  is  advisable  to  make  a 
casual  tour  of  that  department  to  determine  how  the 
mailing  system  is  operating.  This  need  only  be  done  at 
infrequent  intervals,  and  any  lapses  which  may  be  found 
are  so  vigorously  brought  to  the  attention  of  those  re- 
sponsible that  every  effort  is  made  by  employees  to  keep 
work  high  in  quality. 

The  great  bulk  of  material  that  this  manager  files 
consists  of  copies  of  letters  containing  promises  and 
acknowledgments.  These  copies  are  simply  slipped  into 
the  file  folders  for  the  dates  when  they  should  be  acted 
upon. 


PLAN    NINETY 


119 


NAME         (K^<XyYy\J&\JU\^    Ol<xJlr<JLAJ^Jiyvr^    Oo  • 

ADHRFSS         ia.2.^        -UrteM:          <^<.yX^CLr^- 

PUBLICATION      (Rxk.rrY\^Jr<JlA^        ^T/Uu^^ti^'CxW^ 

Cut 
Number 

Date 
Sent 

Date 
Returned 

Cut 
Number 

Date 
Sent 

Date 
Returned 

a\ 

l'//5 

//6 

13.9-^ 

'//^ 

Figure  19:  We've  all  had  the  exasperating  experience  of  searching 
all  over  the  office  for  important  memoranda — and  not  finding  them. 
Here's  a  card  that  tells  instantly  where  photographs  or  advertising 
cuts  are,  whether  they  are  in  the  office  or  in  use  outside.  The  man 
who  uses  it  tells  iiL  Plan  90  how  much  time  it  has  saved  him. 


PLAN  90 

"SAVES  TIME  FOR  EVERYBODY  CONCERNED" 

When  you  stop  to  consider  that  advertising  in  some  form 
or  other  is  being  used  by  practically  every  business,  you  II 
see  the  broad  field  for  j  ust  such  plans  as  this.  It  has  a 
direct  time-saving  value,  and  also  helps  increase  accuracy, 
thus  eliminating  many  incidental  time  losses. 

"We  have  a  system  for  cuts  and  photographs  which 
has  saved  everybody  in  our  office  a  lot  of  time,"  says 
the  manager  of  a  middle  western  firm  wMch  uses  many 
photographs  in  liis  advertising.  The  system  keeps  track 
of  an  enormous  number  of  photographs,  negatives,  wash 
drawings,  zinc  etchings,  wax  engravings,  and  all  the 
information  about  them,  such  as  who  is  using  them,  with 
the  correct  address,  and  where  electros  may  be  found. 

"The  key  to  the  plan  is  the  assignment  of  serial  nura- 


120 PLAN   NINETY-ONE 

bers  to  all  photographs,  after  arranging  them  by  sizes. 
Numbers  from  1  to  5,000  are  reserved  for  miscellaneous 
sizes;  5,001  to  10,000  are  for  4  by  5  inch  negatives; 
10,001  to  20,000  for  5  by  7  inch,  and  so  on.  Each  nega- 
tive is  marked  with  a  serial  number  and  the  date  it  was 
made. 

"For  indexing  purposes,  prints  are  pasted  on  two  6  by 
8  inch  cards,  one  for  a  numerical  index  and  the  other 
for  the  subject  index. 

"Electrotypes  bear  the  same  number  as  the  original 
cut,  followed  by  a  serial  number  running  from  one  up 
showing  the  number  of  electros  made  from  the  cut.  The 
numerical  index  also  serves  to  keep  track  of  cuts,  as 
the  cards  show  the  number  of  the  case  in  which  they 
belong. 

"When  a  cut  leaves  the  office,  a  record  is  made  of  it 
on  a  card  shown  in  Figure  19.  This  card,  filed  alpha- 
betically, shows  the  name  of  the  firm  to  which  the  cuts 
are  sent,  the  address,  and  number  of  cuts  delivered. 
"When  the  cuts  are  returned  the  cards  are  destroyed. 

* '  This  system  is  particularly  effective  as  a  time-saving 
device  from  the  executives  dowm  to  the  clerks  who  handle 
the  negatives  and  cuts.  It  also  eliminates  the  little  time 
losses  that  so  often  result,  perhaps  indirectly,  from  a 
faulty  system  of  recording." 

PLAN  91 

FOR  10  YEARS  THIS  PLAN  HAS  SAVED  TIME 
AND  NERVE  WEAR  AND  TEAR 

This  flan  is  unique.  It's  effective,  too.  Perhaps  every 
man  who  reads  it  cant  use  it,  hut  one  thing  is  sure: 
You  cant  tell  hmo  much  it  may  help  you  out  until  you  do 
read  it.     And  it's  in  the  users  oum  words. 

This  is  a  filing  plan  that  suits  me  down  to  the  ground. 
It  will  suit  you,  too,  if  you  do  the  same  general  kind  of 


PLAN    NINETY-ONE 121 

work  I  do,  or  have  about  the  same  problems  when  it 
comes  to  finding  "that  document"  in  a  hurry. 

What  is  my  work  ? 

It  is  of  a  non-routine  nature.  It  is  always  different. 
No  steady  stream  of  reports  and  correspondence  flows 
across  my  desk,  the  same  day  after  day,  to  be  handled 
by  "referring"  it  to  "the  proper  party"  or  answering 
by  dictated  letter.  It  runs,  instead,  eternally  along  new 
paths.  First,  there  is  some  condition  in  the  business,  not 
yet  covered  by  routine  or  ruling,  that  needs  to  be  pruned 
or  watered.  We  discuss  the  matter.  We  reach  a  certain 
unanimity  as  to  the  right  kind  of  pruning  or  watering. 
Then  these  remedial  measures  must  be  translated  into 
detailed  procedure  and  concrete  words  and  acts. 

I  expressly  abstain  from  stating  the  name  of  my  job. 
The  minute  I  do  that  every  man  whose  job  has  a  different 
name  concludes  this  article  is  not  for  him.  In  realiuy, 
this  article  is  for  anyone  whose  work,  in  essence,  is  pro- 
motional and  involves  masses  of  hodgepodge  memoranda, 
letters,  blueprints,  schedules,  reports,  notes  of  confer- 
ences, and  the  like.  It  is  for  the  man  who  frequently 
"wants  what  he  wants"  out  of  this  mass  instantaneously 
to  clinch  his  point  in  the  eager  talks  so  characteristic 
of  uncharted  work.  It  may  be  a  complaint  from  a  con- 
sumer; it  may  be  a  clipping  from  the  morning's  news; 
it  may  be  a  rough  drawing  by  one's  favorite  artist;  but 
one  wants  it  quick! 

Here's  the  plan:  the  moment  I  can  get  any  paper  or 
document  off  my  desk  and  into  a  drawer  I  do  so.  I 
use  only  one  drawer.  Everything  is  put  into  it,  one 
thing  on  top  of  another.  This  is  no  sorting,  no  classifi- 
cation. Into  the  drawer  it  goes,  the  latest  always  on  top, 
to  be  covered  in  its  turn  by  the  next  paper,  and  so  on. 
When  I  want  to  get  any  recent  paper,  I  simply  look  in 
this  one  drawer  for  it.    Evidently,  the  more  recent  it  is, 


122 PLAN   NINETY-ONE 

the  oftener  I  shall  want  it — and  the  more  recent  it  is, 
again,  the  nearer  the  top  it  is,  and  the  easier  to  find. 

That  is  the  first  half  of  the  system.  The  basis  is  not 
alphabetical,  nor  subject,  nor  nature  of  document.  "Re- 
cency" is  the  sole  basis.  By  simply  laying  one  thing 
in  one  drawer,  hour  by  hour,  day  after  day,  you  auto- 
matically insure  that  the  oftenest  wanted  paper  is  the 
one  nearest  the  top  and  therefore  easiest  to  find.  You 
''file"  as  you  go  along.  Whatever  you  want  you  will 
find  in  the  drawer.  You  always  get  it.  You  get  it  inside 
of  30  seconds ;  often  instantaneously.  There  is  no  press- 
ing the  button  for  the  ''filing  clerk";  no  wait  for  her 
to  return,  dismayed  and  fearful  of  rebuke,  to  report 
that  the  paper  cannot  be  found  but  "the  boys  are  looking 
for  it;  they  think  Mr.  Drew  had  it,  but  he  is  sick  today." 
That  is  all  eliminated. 

"But  what,"  you  ask,  "happens  when  this  magic 
drawer  becomes  full  to  overflowing?"  When  that  hap- 
pens, and  it  happens  regularly,  of  course,  I  take  out  the 
entire  mass  and  lay  it  on  my  desk  upside  down.  The 
oldest  pieces  are  now  on  top.  I  turn  each  piece  over  in 
its  turn  and  one  glance  tells  me  whether  it  should  remain 
in  the  drawer  or  whether,  by  the  lapse  of  time,  it  has 
become  "dead" — and  it  is  wonderful  how  many  papers, 
in  constant  use  one  week,  snatched  out  and  exhibited  time 
and  time  again,  become  later  mere  antiquities  because 
the  work  they  represent  is  done  and  disposed  of. 

The  trashiest  of  the  "dead"  pieces  go  in  the  waste 
basket.  The  rest — those  that  may  possibly  come  to  life 
some  day  or  be  wanted  in  connection  with  another  task — 
are  filed — this  time  in  the  ordinary  and  accepted  'jense 
of  the  word  "file."  They  go  either  into  the  general  office 
files,  if  they  belong  there,  or  they  go  into  my  own  private 
subject  file  if  they  are  such  that  no  other  department 
could  or  would  want  them. 


PLAN   NINETY-ONE 123 

So  I  go  on,  working  from  tlie  bottom  up  until  the 
newness  and  recency  of  the  pieces  I  encounter  warns  me 
they  are  likely  to  be  wanted  any  moment  because  they 
concern  work  still  unfinished.  There  I  stop,  and  restore 
the  now  much  reduced  pile  to  its  drawer,  to  be  the  founda- 
tion of  today's  and  tomorrow's  and  next  week's  accumu- 
lations. 

I  got  this  system  from  an  advertising  expert  who  is 
one  of  the  shrewdest  and  cleverest  judges  of  office  meth- 
ods I  ever  met.  He  has  used  the  method  for  years  and 
it  works  perfectly.  I  never  knew  him  to  be  flurried 
or  hurried  in  laying  his  hand  on  any  paper.  The  precise 
document  he  needed  seemed  to  appear  in  his  hand  as 
though  it  had  materialized  from  thin  air.  He  would 
simply  reach  to  the  one  drawer  and  draw  out  what  he 
required  while  he  was  talking  about  it. 

A  good  many  business  men — retailers  and  other  heads 
of  businesses — unconsciously  carry  out  the  first  part  of 
this  system.  They  let  papers  accumulate  in  piles  from 
day  to  day.  Very  much  so!  But  this  is  planlessness 
rather  than  plan.  These  men  allow  papers  to  pile  up 
unsorted,  not  because  they  have  any  method  in  so  doing, 
but  merely  because  that  is  a  lazy  man's  way.  When 
they  want  anything  from  the  heap,  there  is  a  hurried, 
scrambling  search,  with  subdued  ''cussing"  perhaps,  but 
the  desired  document  seldom  is  found. 

I  sometimes  think  my  method  has  a  kind  of  philo- 
sophical basis.  If  we  look  upon  a  file  as  a  kind  of 
mechanical  memory  (and  sometimes  it  is  called  so)  then 
the  ideal  basis  for  filing  would  be  that  of  the  human 
memo;/ — and  we  all  know  that  facts  are  filed  in  our 
brains  mostly  by  ''recency."  "We  remember  today's 
events  best,  yesterday's  less  well,  and  so  on. 

I  have  used  this  system  for  10  years,  with  infinite 
saving  of  nerve  wear  and  tear. 


124 


PLAN   NINETY-TWO 


Figure  20:  Here  is  an  idea  that  came  to  the  rescue  of  one  business 
man  who  had  to  keep  up  with  his  engagements  without  losing  a 
minute.  No  more  taxing  his  memory,  no  more  fingering  through 
note  books;  his  new  method  showed  him,  a  better  way.  Study  this 
cliart  and  tlien  read  Plan  92  and  you'll  find  out  how  he  did  it. 


PLAN  92 
A  NEW  APPLICATION  OF  AN  OLD  IDEA 

The  business  man  who  uses  this  plan  finds  that  it  saves 
him  much  time,  not  only  in  getting  the  information  he 
wants,  but  by  freeing  him  of  a  great  deal  of  responsibility 
for  remembering. 

To  keep  in  touch  with  the  various  business  conven- 
tions and  trade  gatherings  that  command  his  attention, 
a  business  man  who  wishes  to  be  informed  about  these 
meetings  has  had  built  a  wooden  bulletin  board  that  now 
stands  against  the  wall  of  his  private  office.  It  can  be 
covered  with  a  curtain  if  desired.  This  board  is  about  6 
feet  square,  and  is  divided  into  12  perpendicular  grooves 
— one  for  each  month  of  the  year.  It  is  illustrated  in 
Figure  20. 


PLAN   NINETY-THREE 125 

Into  these  grooves  his  secretary  inserts  cards,  3  by  5 
inches  in  size,  upon  each  of  which  is  typewritten  a  brief 
memorandum  referring  to  some  gathering  that  might 
be  of  interest  to  him,  and  including  the  date  and  the 
place.  In  this  way  he  can  keep  before  his  desk  notices 
for  months  ahead. 

This  method  has  an  advantage  in  that  it  forces  the 
coming  events  upon  the  attention  in  a  striking  form. 
There  are,  of  course,  a  number  of  other  ways,  including 
card  files,  for  filing  information  of  this  type,  but  this 
man  happens  to  prefer  the  board  because  it  throws  the 
data  before  him  in  an  unusually  emphatic  manner. 

The  cards  are  held  in  position  by  small  wooden 
knobs.  Metal  hooks  or  clips  would,  of  course,  serve  the 
same  purpose. 

PLAN  93 

USELESS  MOTIONS  STOOD  NO  CHANCE 
AGAINST  THIS  PLAN 

Leaving  his  desk  at  frequent  intervals  and  hunting  for  this 
or  that  paper  or  memorandum  found  no  favor  with  this 
man.  He  analyzed  his  needs  and  tells  beloio  hoio  he 
saved  himself  both  time  and  labor. 

"A  question  I  put  to  myself  was:"  says  a  San  Fran- 
cisco business  man,  "how  can  I  arrange  my  equipment 
and  systematize  my  work  so  that  I  may  accomplish  the 
greatest  results  with  the  least  effort  ?  In  order  to  answer 
the  question  I  studied  my  needs  and  worked  out  a  new 
plan,  which  meant  making  some  changes  in  my  office. 
They  are  not  many,  nor  wore  they  costly.  But  they  are 
saving  my  time,  money  and  labor. 

"I  sit  in  an  armless  swivel  desk  chair.  I  have  ar- 
ranged my  entire  equipment,  as  shown  in  Figure  21,  so 
that  I  can  reach  anything  I  want  without  leaving  that 
chair. 


r—  Daily  Caleodai 


r       Pamn  Reaiiy  tg  File 


6  Division  Desk  Tile 


Stenographer's  Call 


r         left  Hand  Plione 


Drawing  Instruments 


lamp  for  Close  or 
Nigtit  Work 


f-  Dmrlnt  BoanI 


Current  Hagaziaes 


Reference  Works 


Paper  Sanrples 


Rates  and  Sales  Map 


"-         Visitor's  Chair 


letter  Opener  — ' 


'■    Disappearing  Typewriter 


Shears.  Pencils,  Scales 


Urge  Drawings,  Dummies  — 


stationary  etc.        -J 


Idea  File  —  Personal 


Proofs  of  Cuts,  Photos 


Figure  21:  *' This  desk  plan  enabled  me  to  finish  my  rou- 
tine work  in  time  to  give  attention  to  bigger  tasks.""  Thafs 
the  way  the  busy  man  who  uses  this  desk  arrangement  de- 
scribes its  results  in  Plan  93,  and  it  will  no  doubt  be  a 
simple  matter  to  adapt  some  part  of  it. 

126 


PLAN   NINETY-THREE 127 

' '  In  conjunction  with  my  desk  I  formerly  had  a  table. 
I  discarded  this  and  substituted  a  flat-topped  typewriter 
desk.  It  takes  up  less  room  than  the  table,  and  adds  a 
typewriter  and  five  drawers  to  my  facilities.  A  stenog- 
rapher is  available  at  the  pressure  of  a  button,  but  the 
typewriter  at  times  is  faster  and  more  satisfactory  for 
items  that  require  intimate  care.  My  'To  be  filed'  and 
'Under  consideration'  trays  are  as  before.  Only  I  have 
glued  them  in  place.  The  'Under  consideration'  tray 
is  open  on  the  side  and  f  oldens  subdivide  it  into  six  com- 
partments. 

' '  The  buzzer  is  now  screwed  in  a  handy  place ;  I  trans- 
ferred it  from  the  inner  leg  of  the  roU  top  desk.  Pasted 
on  the  drawleaf  shelf  at  the  right  are  the  telephone  num- 
bers I  frequently  use,  while  the  city  directory  hangs 
at  the  side  of  the  desk.  A  daily  calendar  pad  enables 
me  to  enter  appointments.  The  caller's  chair  is  set  in 
one  position  and  all  papers  are  w^ell  removed  from  casual 
eyes. 

"By  pulling  out  a  drawer  of  each  desk,  a  drafting 
board  is  provided,  slightly  elevated,  at  sitting  height 
and  in  excellent  light.  Drafting  instruments,  pens, 
brushes  and  other  tools  are  kept  in  the  center  drawer  of 
the  flat  top  desk.  A  spiral  pen  rack  permits  quick  selec- 
tions. Scrap  books  for  filing  clippings  I  have  placed  in 
the  side  drawers. 

' '  The  low  roll  top  desk  carries  a  large  plate  glass  under 
which  I  have  placed  maps  and  tables  which  I  use  fre- 
quently. Stationery  is  placed  immediately  above.  Copy 
paper  is  stored  next  to  the  typewriter  on  the  same  shelf. 
My  reference  library  is  on  the  desk  top. 

"Large  photos  and  the  blueprints  lie  flat  in  the  wide 
center  drawer.  A  callers'  card-index  file  is  in  the  right 
upper  drawer.  Private  letters  and  data  for  articles  are 
filed  in  a  lower  drawer. 


128 PLAN   NINETY-FOUR 

*'The  cost  of  the  improvement  was  trifling  in  view  of 
the  advantage  of  putting  my  hand  at  once  on  anything 
I  need  at  the  very  moment  I  need  it. ' ' 

PLAN  94 

THESE  "POCKET-MEMO"  PLANS  MADE  GOOD 

A  lot  in  a  little  space — that's  what  the  pocket  memoranda 
idea  amounts  to.  You  vnll  no  doubt  find  below  a  helpful 
hint  or  two  which  you  can  apply  to  your  awn  difficulties. 

"1  carry  the  big  deals  in  my  head  and  the  details  in 
my  pocket,"  is  the  figurative  but  pointed  way  one  busi- 
ness man  describes  his  plan  for  making  each  day  count 
the  most.  He  has  on  his  desk  a  private  memorandum  of 
all  his  duties.  In  this  way  he  keeps  track  of  the  many 
branches  of  his  business  which  require  attention.  "I  have 
learned,"  he  says,  "two  facts — that  a  mind  burdened 
with  details  is  not  effective  as  it  should  be,  and  that  a 
memorandum  supplementing  the  memory  helps  to  over- 
come the  difficulty. ' ' 

His  "detail  partner"  is  a  looseleaf  book,  which  per- 
mits him  to  discard  data  no  longer  needed.  This  prevents 
overloading  the  book  and  thereby  defeating  its  time-sav- 
ing purpose.  In  its  present  form,  this  executive  con- 
siders his  memorandum  his  best  business  friend.  To  suit 
his  needs  he  dates  a  dozen  or  more  leaves  ahead,  and 
makes  notes  of  conferences,  deals,  or  other  important 
items  to  be  considered  on  those  dates. 

Each  morning  the  old  sheets  are  taken  out  and  the 
current  date  is  always  kept  as  the  first  page  in  the  book. 
If  some  little  detail  remains  undone  it  is  tabbed  on  the 
next  page  or  entered  on  a  sheet  of  some  convenient  day 
ahead.  This  keeps  the  items  in  the  book  always  fresh. 
General  notes  not  properly  coming  on  the  dated  sheets 


PLAN  NINETY-FOUR  129 


are  made  on  the  leaves  in  the  back  and  torn  out  when 
they  have  served  their  purpose. 

Loose  leaves  are  now  obtainable  in  such  a  wide  variety 
of  ruled  and  printed  forms,  including  miniature  day 
books,  cash  books,  journals,  and  ledgers,  that  he  makes 
his  binder  serve  a  number  of  uses  as  his  needs  require. 
"When  necessary  he  carries  it  with  him  outside  the  office 
to  record  business  transactions.  Thus  temporary  entries 
of  personal  or  business  deals  are  made  at  times  when  an 
assistant  is  not  at  hand,  and  a  concise  and  accurate  record 
is  kept  until  the  time  of  final  entry  in  the  permanent 
books  of  the  concern. 

Another  executive  carries  the  pocket  memorandum 
plan  even  further  than  the  ordinary  looseleaf  book.  He 
uses  a  binder  of  a  type  that  has  on  the  inside  of  each 
cover  a  metal  rim  for  holding  half  a  dozen  or  more  cards 
tabbed  and  indexed  at  the  upper  edge.  These  cards, 
inside  one  cover,  are  indexed  with  the  days  of  the  week 
and  month,  and  inside  the  other,  with  letters  of  the 
alphabet.  A  full  supply  of  cards,  tabbed  for  all  the 
days  of  the  year,  is  kept  in  a  drawer  in  the  office  file  to 
be  used  for  the  binder  as  needed.  Memorandum  notes 
for  future  dates  may  be  made  on  any  of  the  cards  as  far 
as  a  year  ahead. 

Each  Monday  morning  the  cards  for  the  week  just 
starting  are  taken  from  the  file  and  placed  in  the  pocket 
binder.  Each  morning  the  tab  of  the  previous  day  is 
removed  from  its  top  position  in  the  binder  and  slipped 
behind  the  others.  The  memorandum  scheme  is  in  reality 
a  combination  office-and-pocket  card  system  and  has  a 
distinct  advantage  in  that  reminder  notes  may  be  made 
for  almost  any  time  in  the  future. 

Another  office  man  has  constant  need  of  a  readily 
accessible  list  of  addresses  and  telephone  numbers  of 
business  men  and  personal  friends.    For  this  purpose  he 


130  PLAN   NINETY-FIVE 


FROM  General  Manager  '^'^ ' 


netum  to  General  Manager  when  attended  to 
Should  any  circumstance  prevent  these  instructions  being  carried  out  exactly  as  stated,  tear  off  strip 

and  return  same  immediately  to  General  Manager 
Please  attend  to  the  following: 


Signed 
Attended  to 


Your  instructions  regarding 

Cannot  be  carried  out  at  time  stated  because 


Signed 


Figure  22:  What's  the  simplest  way  to  put  instructiojis  in  writing 
and  be  reasonably  sure  that  they  will  not  only  be  carried  out,  but  also 
reported  upon  promptly?  One  busy  man  tells  in  Plan  95  hov)  he 
made  assurance  doubly  sure  by  using  the  form  reproduced  here. 
The  lower  half  of  each  original  is  torn  off  by  the  employee. 

finds  a  note  book  with  alphabetically  tabbed  sections  the 
most  satisfactory.  He  also  finds  it  desirable  to  keep  a 
small  pocket  memorandum  exelnsively  for  addresses,  and 
uses  a  permanently  bound  book  for  the  purpose. 


A  PLAN  FOR  FOLLOWING  EACH  TASK  THROUGH 
UNTIL  COMrLETED 

No  busy  man  wants  to  spend  all  his  time  inquiring  how 
this  or  that  work  is  progressing  and  ivhen  it  mil  be  finished. 
Here's  the  method  one  executive  uses  to  handle  this  part 
of  his  work  automatically.  You  II  readily  see  how  simply 
it  works. 

The  head  of  one  business  now  saves  more  time  than 
he  did  previously  by  means  of  a  rapid-action  plan  of 


PLAN   NINETY-SIX 131 

issuing  instructions.  He  has  on  his  desk  a  looseleaf  book, 
containing  sheets  in  duplicate,  like  those  illustrated  in 
Figure  22.  These  are  numbered  serially.  Whenever  he 
wishes  to  give  special  instructions  to  any  assistant  he 
writes  them  in  this  book  and  sends  the  carbon  duplicate 
to  the  designated  person  or  department  head.  The 
printed  items  on  the  sheet  obviate  any  more  writing  by 
the  executive  than  absolutely  necessary. 

The  slip  is  perforated  a  little  below  the  center  so  that 
the  lower  portion  may  be  torn  off.  If  by  any  chance  the 
instructions  cannot  be  carried  out  by  the  time  indicated, 
the  stub  is  filled  in  and  returned  to  the  general  manager 
immediately.  In  this  way  he  learns  at  the  earliest  pos- 
sible moment  the  reasons  his  directions  cannot  be  fol- 
lowed out.  As  soon  as  his  orders  have  been  taken  care 
of,  the  upper  portion  of  the  slip  is  signed  by  the  person 
to  whom  the  work  was  delegated  and  returned  to  the 
general  manager. 

This  makes  it  possible  for  the  executive  to  control 
certain  necessary  details  of  the  business  from  his  own 
desk  with  the  assurance  that  his  instructions  will  either 
be  followed  out  on  time  or  he  will  know  the  reason  why. 

PLAN  96 

A  "FOLLOW-UP"  PLAN  THAT  STRENGTHENED 
BUSINESS  JUDGMENT 

nere'n  a  plan  for  installing  a  follojr-vp  on  tasks  and 
correspondence  that  certainly  is  unusual  in  many  ways. 
The  man  who  "put  it  on  the  office  map"  has  so  increased 
his  powers  of  decision  and  capacity  for  large  problems  that 
he  feels  sure  of  its  worth  to  others. 

An  "intermediate"  file  for  following  up  correspond- 
ence and  other  items  of  business  is  the  plan  a  Kansas 
City  business  man  has  developed  to  conserve  his  time  and 
relieve  his  mind  of  a  multitude  of  details.     He  calls  it 


132 PLAN    NINETY-SIX 

his  "remember  file"  and  declares  it  has  strengthened 
his  business  judgment  and  increased  his  capacity  for 
handling  his  larger  problems.  Annoying  delays  in  his 
correspondence  have  been  eliminated  and  his  instruc- 
tions are  carried  out  quickly  and  correctly. 

Only  subjects  to  be  followed  up  go  into  the  "remem- 
ber file."  All  permanent  data  is  excluded.  The  ar- 
rangement is  simple.  Three  vertical  filing  drawers  are 
provided  to  hold  standard  correspondence  size  manila 
folders,  on  which  are  printed  instruction  headings.  In 
the  space  marked  "To  whom  addressed"  the  file  clerk 
w^^tes  the  name  of  the  individual  or  firm  to  whom  the 
correspondence  relates.  The  initials  of  the  executive  are 
placed  in  the  space  marked  "Hand  this  to"  and  the 
follow-up  date  is  entered  as  indicated.  The  space  for 
initials  is  included  because  several  heads  in  the  com- 
pany have  adopted  this  plan. 

The  carbon  copy  of  all  letters  and  notes  has  a  printed 
space  in  the  upper  right-hand  corner  for  notations  in  re- 
gard to  follow-up.  When  this  executive  reads  and  signs 
his  mail,  he  either  marks  the  carbon  for  the  general  file  or 
places  a  date  in  the  space  marked  ' '  Follow-up, ' '  which  in- 
dicates that  he  wishes  it  to  come  to  his  attention  at  that 
time.  He  simply  places  the  carbon  in  the  outgoing  mail 
basket,  and  he  knows  that  it  will  come  to  his  attention 
again  on  the  date  he  has  indicated.  This  relieves  him  of 
remembering  this  particular  correspondence  untU  he 
wishes  to  take  it  up  again. 

Notes  and  instructions  to  employees  are  handled  in  a 
similar  manner.  Written  instructions  are  given  for  every 
assignment.  The  executive  sends  a  carbon  of  each  to  the 
"remember  file,"  marked  with  the  date  on  which  he 
wishes  to  check  up  the  work:.  Thus,  with  no  worry  or 
loss  of  time,  he  is  assured  of  notification  at  the  time  each 
task  should  be  attended  to. 


PLAN   NINETY-SIX 133 

An  office  boy  collects  all  carbons.  He  divides  them 
into  those  marked  for  the  general  or  permanent  file  and 
those  for  the  "follow-up"  or  "remember  file."  For 
each  "follow-up,"  he  makes  out  one  of  the  manila  fold- 
ers described  above,  and  files  it.  The  folders  are  first  of 
all  arranged  alphabetically  under  the  names  of  the  per- 
sons addressed,  then  they  are  arranged  chronologically 
according  to  the  follow-up  dates,  behind  the  different 
letters  of  the  alphabet. 

Incoming  mail,  before  it  goes  to  the  executive,  has  at- 
tached to  it  any  correspondence  from  the  follow-up 
which  pertains  to  the  various  subjects  taken  up  in  each 
letter.  This  eliminates  the  trouble  and  delay  of  hunting 
correspondence  after  letters  are  in  the  executive's  hands. 
He  has  all  necessary  information  at  once. 

Every  morning,  after  the  incoming  correspondence  is 
taken  care  of,  the  office  boy  removes  from  the  follow-up 
file  folders  marked  for  the  current  date  and  delivers  fhem 
to  the  proper  desks.  The  carbons  automatically  refresh 
the  executive's  memory  on  the  subjects  he  wishes  to  take 
up  that  day.  If  the  correspondence  calls  for  immediate 
attention,  he  holds  it  for  dictation;  or,  if  it  cannot  be 
acted  upon  for  a  few  days  longer,  he  marks  another  fol- 
low-up date  on  it.  If  he  wishes  to  dismiss  the  subject 
he  marks  the  carbon  copy  for  the  general  files. 

The  follow-up  on  the  notes  to  the  employees  is  handled 
in  a  slightly  different  manner.  If  a  worker  calls  one  of 
his  assignments  to  the  attention  of  his  chief  before  the 
follow-up  on  it  comes  through,  the  carbon  is  simply  de- 
stroyed. If,  however,  the  executive  has  received  no  such 
notification,  he  leaves  the  carbon  part  way  out  of  the 
folder  and  places  it  in  the  outgoing  ba.sket.  The  office 
boy  takes  it  a,t  once  to  the  person  to  whom  the  order  was 
given  and  waits  until  a  report  of  some  sort  is  written  on 
the  copy.    It  is  then  returned  to  the  executive,  who  takes 


134 PLAN    NINETY-SEVEN 

note  of  the  report  and,  if  he  wishes,  places  a  new  follow- 
up  date  on  the  instructions. 

The  real  success  of  this  plan,  says  the  originator  of  it, 
is  due  largely  to  the  almost  inevitable  way  in  which  the 
folders  appear  on  the  dates  set  for  them.  His  mind  is 
relieved  absolutely  and  yet  his  judgment  is  surer,  for 
every  vital  fact  or  problem  relating  to  the  business  is  put 
before  him  at  the  right  time  for  decision  or  final  solution. 

PLAN  97 

KEEPING  TRACK  OF  THE  DAY'S  LIABILITIES 
IN  MOMENTS 

President  Wilson  carries  a  little  slip  detailing  the  day's 
appointments  in  his  vest  pocket.  He  has  a  reputation 
for  always  being  on  time.  Here's  another  plan  also  in- 
tended to  help  a  busy  man  keep  track  of  engagements. 

A  Philadelphia  business  man  keeps  tab  on  his  per- 
sonal appointments  by  entering  them  on  a  3  by  5  inch 
card  (Figure  23),  which  he  retains  in  a  holder.  It  pro- 
vides for  morning,  afternoon,  and  evening  appointments 
and  covers  a  period  of  a  week. 

If  conferences,  interviews  or  special  meetings  are  to 
be  held  the  following  week,  the  dates  are  entered  on  a 
second  card  which  is  kept  in  the  holder  just  behind  the 
current  schedule.  Thus,  with  scarcely  any  effort,  he  is 
able  to  meet  every  demand  and  avoid  conflict  in  arrang- 
ing each  day 's  work.  And  he  is  not  nettled  by  forgetting 
important  conferences,  "It  enables  me,"  he  says,  "to 
keep  a  check  on  myself." 

At  the  end  of  each  week,  the  card  for  that  week  is 
filed  away  in  an  index  drawer  for  convenient  reference. 
This  history  of  important  business  events,  in  which  he 
takes  part,  affords  a  valuable  means  of  verifying  dates 
and  other  facts  in  case  such  questions  arise. 


PLAN   NINETY-EIGHT 

135 

Month                7?1<X/L.C^ 

Day 

A.M. 

P.M. 

Evening 

'         Sunday 

/•/^ 

(2>n7Ui^ 

2 

Monday 

9 

OmM'UmxJi 

3 

(Mjfrur^J^ 

Tuesday 

/o 

.2. 

C:zo 

Bsm^ 

*  Wednesday 

/i 

5ta^ctZ-ti. 

u 

Thursday 

II 

CcripiA£/>vzil 

/ 

^^^d^ 

G::5o 

*          Friday 

II 

%^^ 

y 

0 

'      Saturday 

?, 

AMMa^y^e^ 

0 

Figure  23:  Who  among  us  lias  not  missed  an  important  appoint- 
ment because  "he  forgot"?  This  card  index  of  engagements,  {see 
Plan  97)  kept  in  a  convenient  holder,  enables  one  business  man  to 
be  on  time  for  all  appointments.  It's  just  a  simple  plan,  but  "it 
enables  me,"  he  says,  "to  keep  an  accurate  check  on  myself." 


PLAN  98 

THIS  PLAN  DID  AWAY  WITH  TAKING 
WORK  HOME 

Ifs  certainly  discouraging  to  find  yourself  confronted 
with  a  pile  of  unfinished  work  at  the  close  of  the  day. 
Here's  a  plan  that  may  help. 

"I  have  never  favored  having  all  the  details  of  our 
organization  come  to  my  desk,"  says  one  business  man. 
' '  Yet  s'o  complex  is  the  problem  of  keeping  in  touch  with 
various  activities,  that  for  some  time  I  frequently  took 
reports  home,  or  stayed  after  business  hours  at  my  desk, 
just  trying  to  find  out  what  was  going  on. 

''There  must  be  some  way  of  simplifying  the  work, 
I  felt,  so  I  set  about  developing  a  system.  It  took  about 
six  months  before  we  found  out  all  its  faults  and  cor- 
rected them ;  then  it  worked  like  a  charm. 

"It  is  a  good  deal  like  a  newspaper's  system  for  han- 


136 PLAN    NINETY-NINE 

clling  reporters.  Tlie  basis  of  it  is  an  assignment  sheet, 
and  a  set  of  files  which  automatically  sort  out  the  com- 
pleted work,  and  the  various  classes  of  'live'  business. 
The  assignment  sheet  is  a  daily  schedule  of  work  for 
everybody  in  the   office,  even  of  routine  tasks. 

* '  The  employees  like  the  system,  for  it  helps  them  get 
things  done  in  short  order;  any  papers  that  are  needed 
can  be  quickly  located  by  reference  to  the  file  and  it  has 
been  a  life  saver  for  me.  All  carbons  of  letters  and 
memorandums  are  made  on  a  special  form  which  contains 
reference  to  the  individuals  in  the  departments,  the 
assignment  sheet,  the  various  files,  and  a  ticker  arrange- 
ment of  dates.  By  simply  checking  the  destination  of 
the  order,  the  person  handling  it,  and  the  date,  on  the 
carbon  of  a  letter,  I  know  that  item  of  business  will  be 
entered  on  the  assignment  sheet,  and  duly  attended  to 
at  its  proper  time. 

"This  system  has  saved  me  time  in  disposing  of  my 
mail — this  applies  as  well  to  every  other  correspondent 
in  our  organization ;  and  it  has  also  saved  a  tremendous 
amount  of  time  in  overseeing  the  work,  for  now  I  can 
put  the  assignment  sheet  in  front  of  me  and  line  up  the 
situation  in  a  few  minutes." 

PLAN  99 

AN  AUTOMATIC  "PRIVATE  SECRETARY"  THAT 
SAVES  TIME  WITH  A  VENGEANCE 

In  this  flan  you  vnll  find  time  saving  reduced  almost  to 
a  science.  Of  course  dictaling  machines  and  inierhouse 
telephones  may  be  "fifth  wheels"  to  your  business,  but  do 
not  therefore  pass  the  plan  by;  for  to  do  so  would  be  merely 
begging  the  question. 

A  western  business  man  who  believes  in  making  ap- 
pliances save  a  lot  of  his  time  has  his  dictating  machine 
sunk  in  his  desk,  squarely  in  front  of  him  and  ready  for 


PLAN   ONE  HUNDRED  137 


use.  The  tube  lies  at  all  times  beneath  his  fingers.  He 
has  but  to  lift  it  to  his  mouth  and  turn  the  switch,  when 
he  can  begin  dictating. 

Not  only  does  he  handle  all  his  correspondence  and 
interhouse  communications  in  this  way,  but  he  makes 
it  a  practice  to  unburden  his  mind  of  every  little  sug- 
gestion that  occurs  to  him.  Ideas  are  elusive.  They 
may  even  take  flight  while  reaching  for  a  note  book  and 
pencil.  But  if  you  can  formulate  them  into  words  as 
they  unfold  in  the  mind,  escape  is  much  more  difficult. 

This  machine  is  arranged  so  conveniently  that  it  is 
the  next  thing  to  an  automatic  memory  for  him.  It 
enables  him  to  get  ideas  down  which  might  never  be 
recorded  otherwise — ideas  that  may  mean  thousands 
of  dollars  to  the  business.  This  use,  which  may  be  con- 
sidered incidental  by  most  people,  is,  in  his  opinion,  the 
biggest  single  advantage  of  the  appliance. 

A  handy  intercommunicating  telephone  directory  is 
another  interesting  feature  of  this  executive's  office. 
Instead  of  having  a  pendant  card,  he  has  a  large  paper 
disk  fitted  over  the  mouthpiece.  This  carries  the  house 
directory  as  well  as  the  more  important  local  calls.  If 
he  happens  to  forget  a  number,  in  the  moment  that  he 
is  waiting  for  his  central  to  answer,  he  can  spin  the 
disk  around  until  the  desired  number  is  directly  in 
front  of  his  eyes.  All  the  telephones  in  the  plant  are 
similarly  equipped. 

PLAN   100 
A  PLAN  FOR  DOING  IT  IN  "HALF  THE  TIME" 

Here  you  II  find  out  just  how  one  business  man  freed 
himself  from  a  mass  of  minor  detail  work  and  accom- 
plished more  in  the  same  time. 

An  executive  with  a  Baltimore  concern  found  he  was 
spending  too  much  valuable  time  going  over  the  volumi- 


138 


PLAN    ONE   HUNDRED 


COST  PCT  UNIT 

OOllftRS 

Superintendence    and    Labor 

Material  Use[ 

JA^ 

EB   MArJaPD. 

M»V,twHE|jULy|AUC|sm 

oct.|nov.1d£c 

.  JAH.|FtB 

.  MARJAPf 

.  MA-l 

15.00 

14.00 

15,000 
14,900 

Icellaneous 

Total    Cost                      1 

lit 

HE 

JULY 

AUG. 

SEPT. 

CXT. 

NOU. 

DEC. 

JAN. 

FEa 

MAR 

APH 

MAY 

JUKE 

JULY 

AU6.  SEPT. 

OCT 

NOV 

OEG. 

- 



KM 

ZZZ.Z^.     CURVE 

XT^^O^        POINTtO 

:>'       '^C        CURVE 

desired  to  draw  more  Ihan 
one    curve  on    the    tame- 
sheet    and   in  the  same- 
colored  ink 

^ 









— 









— 





_^ 

^ 



_J 

_^ 

, 

. 



-^ 

-^ 

P^ 

' 

" 

"" 



— 

-\ 

f— 

Figure  S^:  A  Baltimore  executive  goes  over  his  records  in  "half  the 
time"  now  because  he  has  them  pictured  in  graphic  form  on  charts 
like  the  above  (see  Plan  100).  The  variation  in  costs  is  shown  by 
plotting  the  squares  according  to  the  key  at  the  left.  He  points  out 
that  a  draftsman  is  not  necessary  to  work  up  the  graphs. 

^^-^iis  monthly  reports  of  the  aeconnting  department. 
^^st  he  had  to  know  the  vital  facts.  To  eliminate  the 
waste  motion  he  worked  out  a  plan  to  have  each  report 
summarized  in  the  form  of  a  graphic  chart.  Now  in  less 
than  half  the  time  he  is  able  to  make  comparisons  and 
visualize  the  status  of  the  business. 

A  written  report  for  various  details  is  attached  to 
the  chart,  should  the  executive  desire  and  have  time  to 
study  the  figures  further.  He  finds  that  one  of  the  main 
obstacles  to  the  wider  use  of  charts  has  been  the  fact 
that  ths)  average  office  manager  believes  it  is  necessary 
to  employ  a  draftsman  to  make  them  up,  and  that  ex- 
pensive drawing  instruments  will  have  to  be  procured. 

"It  is  true,"  he  says,  "that  the  average  clerk  is  not 
trained  a  ong  these  lines ;  but  he  very  soon  can  be,  for 


PLAN   ONE    HUNDRED 139 

anyone  of  average  intelligence  may,  with  sufficient  train- 
ing, become  expert  in  plotting  and  drawing  curves  in  a 
very  short  time.  The  drafting  consists  chiefly  of  draw- 
ing straight  lines,  and  a  little  lettering,  although  a  type- 
writer may  be  used  for  most  of  this. 

As  to  the  cost  of  the  necessary  tools,  $4  will  more  than 
cover  the  price  of  a  very  complete  set.  The  following 
list  includes  everything  needed : 

3  bottles  of  drawing  ink,  one  each  of  black,  green, 

and  red. 
1  51/^-inch  ruling  pen 
1  18-inch  celluloid  straight  edge 
1  6-inch  celluloid  triangle 
1  fairly  hard  lead  pencil 
1  piece  of  soft  rubber 

"The  cross-section  paper,  which  in  my  own  experience 
I  have  found  to  be  most  convenient  for  general  use,  is 
made  in  sheets  15  by  11  inches.  Most  stationery  stores 
carry  it.  Each  sheet  is  divided  into  squares,  of  which 
there  are  24  one  way  and  20  the  other.  Each  large  square 
is  subdivided  into  10  small  squares,  making  the  total 
number  of  squares  240  one  way  and  200  the  other.  This 
permits  the  use  of  a  great  many  kinds  of  headings. 

"When  it  is  desired  to  make  a  comparison  of  various 
years,  a  different  color  of  ink  is  used  for  each  year.  With 
this  arrangement  it  is  possible  to  draw  charts  on  the 
same  sheet  for  as  many  years  as  there  are  colors  of  ink. 

"The  framework  for  the  chart,  w^hich  has  been  used 
with  success  for  some  time  for  keeping  track  of  operat- 
ing costs,  is  shown  by  Figure  24.  It  is  applicable  to 
many  uses.  Wliere  this  form  is  used,  the  sheets  are  kept 
in  a  looseleaf  binder,  and  as  the  figures  are  available 
each  month  the  curve  is  plotted  and  drawn  in,  and  the 
book  laid  on  the  executive's  desk." 


140 PLAN  ONE   HUNDRED   ONE 

PLAN   101 
SAVES  50%  IN  COST  AND  LOTS  OF  TIME 

There  may  be  nothing  brand  new  under  the  sun,  but  it's 
pretty  certain  that  some  of  the  old  ways  can  be  worked 
over  to  advantage.     And  of  that  this  plan  is  the  proof. 

' '  It  costs  us  only  about  half  as  much  now  as  formerly 
to  handle  our  records  on  accounts  payable,"  says  one 
busy  man,  "We  also  spend  only  about  half  as  much 
time  at  the  work  as  before;  yet  we  find  that  our  records 
are  even  more  valuable  than  they  used  to  be.  Our  sys- 
tem has  worked  so  well  for  us  that  we  believe  it  should 
produce  similar  results  in  other  concerns. 

' '  We  made  the  saving  in  two  ways :  first,  we  reduced 
the  number  of  operations;  second,  we  adopted  a  com- 
I^act  card  index  and  a  simple  voucher  sheet  in  place  of 
an  immense  voucher  register,  10  feet  long,  that  we  had 
previously  used.  The  work  is  now  arranged  so  that 
several  entries  are  made  at  one  time  on  the  typewriter. 
This  considerably  reduces  the  time  and  labor. 

"We  have  eliminated  hand  work  in  a  dozen  or  more 
places,  using  rubber  stamps  instead;  yet  we  have  not 
decreased  the  value  of  the  records  in  a  single  instance. 
In  fact,  we  increased  their  eifectiveness. 

' '  Our  former  plan  was  to  make  a  record  of  all  vouch- 
ers to  be  paid  on  a  page  that  contained  enough  columns 
to  accommodate  every  department  or  controlling  account, 
governing  auxiliary  department  records,  to  which  an  ex- 
penditure might  be  charged.  Our  company  owns  a 
number  of  mines.  In  order  to  save  time  and  have  the 
record  complete,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  separate 
column  under  each  department  for  each  mine.  As  our 
operations  grew,  the  size  of  this  book  increased,  until  at 
the  time  when  it  was  abandoned,  as  we  have  said,  it  was 
fully  10  feet  long  when  open. 


PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED   ONE 141 

"The  importance  of  having  immediate  access  to  the 
original  record  of  an  invoice  and  its  voucher  was  indi- 
cated to  us  time  and  again  in  legal  proceedings.  We 
never  were  able  to  satisfy  a  lawyer  with  anything  but 
the  original  record,  and  we  found  that  our  filing  system 
did  not  permit  us  to  find  that  quickly.  We  had  been  de- 
pending largely  upon  our  lO-foot  register  and  an  ade- 
quate filing  system. 

"As  our  system  is  now,  the  originals  are  the  records 
to  which  we  most  often  refer.  This  original  record  we 
know  as  the  voucher  sheet  which  is  assembled  in  a  bound 
volume  with  the  original  invoices  and  papers.  It  is  a 
carbon  made  at  the  same  time  as  the  statement  of  settle- 
ment—  which  goes  to  the  supply  company  from  which 
we  have  purchased  —  and  the  paying  check.  All  three 
of  these  documents  are  written  at  once.  The  statement 
of  settlement  is  exactly  twice  the  size  of  the  check,  and 
the  voucher  sheet  is  twice  the  size  of  the  statement  of 
settlement. 

"Writing  the  three  at  once  means  an  important  saving 
of  labor ;  and  it  also  means  that  all  the  documents  corre- 
spond in  every  detail.  The  check,  which  is  smaller  than 
the  other  sheets,  drops  out  of  the  typewriter  after  the 
name  and  address,  the  amount,  and  a  reference  to  the 
statement  of  settlement  are  entered.  Then  as  much  of 
the  invoice  as  may  be  necessary  is  copied  to  the  statement 
of  settlement;  and  at  the  same  operation,  of  course,  the 
carbon  transcribes  the  invoice  on  the  voucher  sheet.  At 
the  next  turn  of  the  typewriter  platen  the  statement  of 
settlement  drops  out.  A  final  entry  is  made  on  the 
voucher  sheet  to  indicate  the  account  to  which  the  bill  is 
to  be  charged,  the  name  of  the  mine,  and  the  initial  of 
the  clerk  who  made  the  voucher.  In  this  way,  one  opera- 
tion makes  all  these  important  documents. 


142 PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED    ONE 

' '  The  treasurer  signs  the  check  after  it  has  been  signed 
by  the  general  auditor.  We  then  place  it,  with  the  state- 
ment of  settlement,  in  a  window  envelop — thus  we  avoid 
the  necessity  of  writing  the  address  again. 

"For  quick  reference  to  a  given  creditor's  account 
we  have  a  card  file.  The  cards  are  arranged  alphabeti- 
cally according  to  the  names  of  the  creditors.  Each  card 
has  24  spaces,  in  which  to  make  records  of  payments. 
Columns  are  provided  to  show  the  voucher  number,  date 
of  entry,  the  amount  and  the  date. 

* '  Our  method  of  handling  checks  is  a  little  unusual.  In 
fact,  the  sheet  which  we  have  been  calling  a  'check' 
might  better  be  termed  a  'warranty  of  payment.'  In 
the  lower  left-hand  corner,  under  the  words  'payable 
through, '  we  stamp  with  a  rubber  stamp  the  name  of  the 
bank  through  which  payment  is  to  be  made.  We  have 
accounts  in  several  banks.  When  our  check,  or  'war- 
ranty,' returns  to  the  bank,  it  is  brought,  togethei  with 
all  the  'checks'  received  on  that  day,  to  our  treasurer. 

"The  operation  of  finding  a  certain  voucher  is  some- 
thing like  finding  a  given  page  or  chapter  in  a  book  in  a 
library.  We  first  go  to  our  card  index,  find  the  name  of 
the  concern  to  whom  the  voucher  was  made,  find  the  item 
wanted,  and  thus  secure  the  voucher  number.  We  then 
go  to  our  voucher  'library,'  select  the  book  containing 
this  number,  and  find  the  voucher  and  papers  as  you  find 
a  page  number  in  a  book. 

' '  I  should  like  to  call  special  attention  to  an  important 
feature  of  our  check.  Just  above  the  space  left  for  in- 
dorsement are  these  words,  which  turn  the  check  into  a 
valid  receipt:  'Indorsements  legally  and  technically 
correct  must  be  made  below.  Officers  of  corporations 
must  give  their  proper  titles.  Signatures  by  mark  must 
be  witnessed  and  witness's  residence  must  be  stated.  One 
party  signing  for  another  must  attach  power  of  attorney. 


PLAN   ONE    HUNDRED    TWO 143 

Indorsement  of  payee  hereunder  will  constitute  a  receipt 
for  the  account  specified  hereon,' 

"A  complete  record  of  all  voucher  amounts  is  made 
on  a  'voucher  index.'  This  index  is  printed  on  a  letter 
size  sheet.  It  has  columns  in  which  we  enter  the  voucher 
number  and  amount.  Postings  of  totals  are  made  from 
this  index  to  the  ledger. 

''"We  post  to  the  other  ledger  accounts  direct  from  the 
voucher  sheet,  which  is  our  permanent  and  original 
record. 

"This  system,  which  requires  us  to  make  only  two 
postings,  has  greatly  decreased  the  number  of  errors. 
Experience  has  shown  us  that  over  60%  of  the  errors 
in  balances  are  directly  due  to  rerecording  and  sum- 
marizing. Our  method  eliminates  most  of  this  extra 
work  to  a  large  extent." 

PLAN   102 

A  *TILE"  PLAN  FOR  FINDING  FACTS 
INSTANTLY 

And  it  comes  in  handy  for  a  Denver  business  man  when- 
ever he  attacks  a  knotty  problem.  It's  somewhat  like  plan 
27  and  has  proved  practical  in  every  way. 

' '  I  wanted  a  practical  substitute  for  the  old-time  scrap 
book,"  writes  a  Denver  executive,  "one  that  would  enable 
me  to  file  clippings,  memoranda,  and  suggestions  so 
that  I  could  get  at  them  quickly.  The  scrap  book,  of 
course,  I  had  discarded  because  it  took  too  much  time. 
After  studying  my  requirements  I  decided  on  a  plan 
that  has  not  only  saved  me  time  but  is  much  more  ac- 
cessible than  any  I  have  ever  heard  of. 

"It  consists  of  a  cabinet  with  eight  rows  of  what  may 
be  termed  portfolios.  The  cabinet  contains  about  300  of 
these  pockets,  which  are  made  to  open  at  the  top.    Each 


144  PLAN    ONE    HUNDRED    TWO 


SUBJECT  yktiytuiJlAyyu^^  nn\JZ.n. 


DATA 


MAGAZINE  OR  BOOK  S Ju^UJUryT^  DATE   \3l/  / 


'l/oJLu..<ijlr^  -^Xy<rm.  JyrudAxMuna^ 


jt^rH^-tiJ^StL^   ,A^^C^!^y?i.^c^L^f2^^rC7Ct: 


REFER  TO  FILE  (B//I3- 


Figure  25:  There's  no  more  searching  through  endless  file  drawers 
for  information  by  the  Denver  business  man  who  2ises  this  index  card. 
He  can  put  his  finger  instantly  on  just  the  data  he  wants.  In  Plan 
103  he  tells  just  how  his  system  works  out,  and  no  doubt  it  loill  give 
you  a  helpful  idea  or  tivo  to  put  into  your  business. 

pocket  is  6  inches  high,  i/^  inch  wide  and  11  inches  deep, 
and  is  indexed  alphabetically  to  include  any  word  or 
subject  that  may  come  up.  The  lettering  follows  the 
general  plan  of  an  encyclopedia. 

"Clippings,  memoranda,  and  suggestions  are  filed  in 
these  portfolios  or  pockets  under  the  title  of  the  subject. 
For  instance,  an  article  on  'Inverted  Lighting'  would 
be  filed  in  the  pocket  labeled  'LI.'  A  card  index,  with 
cards  printed  as  shown  in  Figure  25,  enables  me  in- 
stantly to  refresh  my  memory  on  any  facts  filed  in  the 
cabinet,  without  spending  time  to  look  through  the  port- 
folios. I  keep  a  number  of  blank  cards  on  my  desk  so 
that  when  I  get  an  idea  I  enter  it  for  future  reference 
before  it  is  forgotten.  These  cards  are  later  filed  in  the 
regular  index. 

"To  further  facilitate  finding  facts  in  the  file  I  have 


PLAN  ONE  HUNDRED  THREE 145 

a  cross-reference  index.  This  prevents  loss  of  my  time 
if  there  is  any  uncertainty  as  to  where  an  item  may  be 
filed.  In  the  case  of  'Inverted  Lighting,'  for  example, 
there  is  a  second  card  under  the  index  letters  '  IN. '  These 
cards  are  very  practical  for  tracing  one  illustration 
through  a  number  of  subjects.  The  plan,  I  have  found, 
may  be  modified  for  the  use  of  executives  no  matter 
what  their  business." 

PLAN   103 

GETTING  THE  OTHER  FELLOW'S 
MOMENT-SAVERS 

Finding  out  how  the  other  fellow  gets  more  out  of  moments 
is  admittedly  a  logical  way  to  save  time — but  the  question 
is  hoio  to  get  the  time  to  find  out.  Read  below  how  one  man 
answers  this  question. 

"I  find  I  can  put  many  profitable  minutes  to  use  by 
doing  selected  reading  during  the  noon  hour,"  says  a 
Milwaukee  business  man.  ' '  I  spend  my  time  advantage- 
ously this  way  except  where  I  have  a  special  luncheon 
engagement,  or  take  a  walk. 

"Whenever  I  am  delayed  in  any  work  during  the  day 
and  have  a  few  unoccupied  minutes,  I  read  something 
of  a  helpful  business  nature.  It  pays  to  keep  carefully 
selected  business  reading  on  hand.  In  this  way  I  absorb 
the  shorter  articles  without  elYort,  and  secure  at  least  a 
preliminary  survey  of  more  extensive  reading  to  be 
done  after  hours. 

"Putting  a  value  on  ideas  and  seeing  that  they  are 
used  is  a  further  step  in  my  plan,  and  here  is  how  I  use 
my  time  to  get  best  results. 

"I  go  over  the  day's  work  trying  to  note  my  mistakes 
and  to  correct  them  with  the  good  ideas  I  get  from  my 
reading.  It  is  important  never  to  read  on  business  with- 
out taking  a  few  extra  minutes  to  translate  the  scheme  or 


146 PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED    FOUR 

system  into  terms  of  your  business,  and  find  its  applica- 
tion to  greater  effectiveness  and,  therefore,  larger  profits. 

"By  making  out  a  card  for  each  important  case,  refer- 
ence can  be  made  quickly  to  it  on  any  proposition  in 
hand.  Such  a  file  in  alphabetical  order  I  have  found 
worth  while. 

' '  The  one  point  that  remains  is  to  keep  the  files  cleared 
of  dead  wood.  This  requires  the  services  of  an  intelli- 
gent assistant  in  frequent  consultation  with  the  business 
man  himself.  A  few  days  of  such  work  once  or  twice 
a  year  are  necessary. ' ' 

PLAN   104 

"FOR  SPEED  IT  HAS  NO  EQUAL" 

That's  what  its  originator  says  of  this  plan.  Perhaps 
you  II  not  be  able  to  use  it  j  ust  as  it  stands,  but  half  the 
fun  in  using  the  other  man's  idea  comes  in  working  out 
variations. 

A  business  man  in  the  West  has  had  success  with 
a  graphic  chart  which  he  uses  to  keep  track  of  the 
results  obtained  by  his  salesmen.  The  cost  of  keeping 
the  graphic  records  is  moderate.  The  information  they 
supply  is  valuable  for  comparative  purposes.  This  method 
is  suggestive  and  probably  could  be  used  profitably  by 
many  in  other  lines  who  desire  a  comparative  record  of 
effectiveness. 

As  part  of  his  office  equipment  this  sales  manager  uses 
a  flat-topped  desk  6  feet  long,  the  top  being  entirely 
covered  by  a  piece  of  plate  glass.  The  comparative  chart 
is  kept  under  this  glass. 

The  chart  is  drawn  on  millimeter  paper.  A  6  foot 
length  of  this  paper  takes  care  of  the  records  of  sales- 
men. The  chart  is  arranged  for  a  monthly  record.  If 
so  desired,  the  comparisons  could  be  made  weekly,  or  for 
any   other  period — the   only   consideration  is  that  the 


PLAN   ONE    HUNDRED    FOUR  147 

longer  the  period,  the  longer  must  be  the  paper,  in  order 
to  display  the  same  number  of  comparisons. 

In  the  column  headed  "number,"  a  scale  is  printed 
which  starts  at  zero  and  works  upward,  by  even  steps, 
to  somewhat  more  than  the  maximum  number  of  calla 
possible  per  day. 

In  the  column  headed  "dollars,"  a  scale  starts  at  zero 
and  works  upward  to  a  point  about  50%  higher  than 
the  average  sales  per  man  per  month. 

In  the  column  at  the  foot  of  the  page  marked  "aver- 
age cost,"  a  scale  starts  at  zero  and  works  up  to  a  point 
higher  than  the  maximum  cost  per  call. 

The  figures  in  these  scale  columns  depend,  of  course, 
upon  the  nature  and  quantity  of  business  obtained,  and 
are  not  shown  here  because  they  would  not  apply  in 
other  business  in  precisely  the  same  way,  although  it  is 
easy  enough  to  fit  them  to  any  business. 

The  framework  of  the  chart  is  drawn  once  each  year. 
It  shows  graphically  seven  facts  about  every  salesman. 
In  the  upper  portion,  the  following  appear: 

1.  Number  of  orders  obtained :  black  line 

2.  Value  of  orders  obtained :  black  dotted  line 

3.  Number  of  calls  made :  green  line 

4.  Average  value  per  order:  green  dotted  line. 

On  the  lower  portion  of  the  chart,  these  facts  are 
shown : 

1.  Average  cost  per  order  (salary,  commission  and 
expenses) 

2.  Average  cost  per  call :  black  dotted  line 

3.  Average  cost  per  $100  of  orders :  green  line. 

These  seven  points  are  plotted  and  drawn  on  the  one 
chart  in  less  than  four  hours  a  month,  and  they  show 
the  record  of  27  salesmen. 


148  PLAN   ONE    HUNDRED    FIVE 


To  secure  the  information  whieh  goes  on  the  chart, 
each  salesman  is  provided  with  a  supply  of  postcards. 
He  fills  out  one  of  these  every  day  and  mails  it  to  the 
office.  On  it,  in  the  convenient  spaces  it  provides,  he 
shows  the  number  of  calls  he  made  during  the  day,  the 
number  of  orders  he  obtained,  and  their  value. 

When  the  cards  are  received  at  the  office,  the  informa- 
tion is  transferred  to  the  salesman's  individual  summary 
and  at  the  end  of  each  month  the  figures  on  this  form 
are  totaled  and  the  averages  figured. 

The  whole  routine  in  connection  with  keeping  this 
chart  does  not  represent  more  than  two  days'  work  per 
month  for  a  clerk. 

"It  is  a  time-saving  method,"  says  this  man,  "for 
speed,  simplicity,  and  effectiveness. ' ' 

PLAN   105 

THE  IKFORMATION  YOU  WANT  IN  PLAIN 
SIGHT  ON  YOUE  DESK 

You  -probably  have  injormation  in  files  handy  to  your 
desk — most  of  us  have  data  xchich  we  frequently  "want 
quick."  You  may  find  in  this  plan  just  the  suggestion 
you  are  looking  for. 

Several  executives  are  saving  time  by  using  an  in- 
genious adaptation  of  the  card  index,  for  use  on  the  desk, 
devised  by  a  university  professor  of  a  practical  turn  of 
mind.  It  is  to  all  assential  purposes  a  graphic  repre- 
sentation of  a  card  file,  condensed  in  form  and  so  ar- 
ranged that  the  cards  may  be  readily  removed  or  in- 
serted. The  device  has  been  especially  useful  to  execu- 
tives who  have  occasion  to  make  frequent  reference  to 
data  which  may  be  tabulated  in  this  manner. 

The  device  is  comparatively  simple.  It  consists  of  a 
wire  frame  about  2  feet  high  mounted  upon  a  wooden 


PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED   FIVE 


149 


Figure  26:  Heres  a  visible  card  index  which  has  saved  several 
executives  a  lot  of  time.  Adaptable,  of  course,  to  many  types  of 
vxrrk,  it  enables  the  busy  man  to  refer  instantly  to  information  of  any 
sort,  all  tabulated  on  this  board  right  in  front  of  him.  The  cards  are 
easily  shifted  and  kept  up  to  date.     Plan  105  describes  it. 


base.  Suspended  from  the  framework  are  aluminum 
strips  to  which  cards  may  be  attached  so  that  the  tops 
overlap  and  are  thus  kept  in  view.  The  cards  in  the  in- 
dex are  slit  in  such  a  way  as  to  slide  up  and  down  on  the 
aluminum  strips.  A  card  may  be  taken  out  or  inserted 
at  any  point  in  the  series  without  pausing  to  readjust 
each  of  the  other  cards.  The  aluminum  strips  are  in 
turn  suspended  in  such  a  way  as  to  slide  bodily  in  a 
horizontal  direction  (see  Figure  26). 

The  strips  also  overlap  each  other  laterally.  Tn  conse- 
quence every  key  word  in  the  index  is  visible  all  the 
time  and  the  entire  card  may  be  exposed  practically  as 
fast  as  the  eye  can  work.  It  is,  to  some  extent,  a  much 
condensed  form  of  the  planning  board  in  common  use 
in  a  great  many  concerns.  The  cards  instead  of  being 
hung  in  full  view  with  all  the  data  upon  them  in  evidence, 
are  arranged  in  overlapping  gix)ups,  and  the  device  is 


150 PLAN  ONE   HUNDRED   SIX 

obviously  unsuited  to  the  uses  to  which  the  larger  board 
may  be  put.  But  it  has  proved  a  time  saver,  and  may  be 
adapted  to  many  practical  uses  on  the  executive's  desk. 

PLAN   106 
IT'S  HARD  TO  FIND  A  TIME  LEAK  IN  THIS  PLAN 

Making  the  other  fellow  "make  his  business  snappy" 
we'll  all  agree  is  a  mighty  effective  way  to  save  your 
own  time.     But  how?     This  plan  points  a  way. 

The  system  of  one  business  man  for  making  every  min- 
ute count  now  is  automatic.  You  can't  tarry  long  with 
him  during  business  hours,  because  he  invariably  makes 
it  a  point  to  receive  a  caller  standing  up.  There  is  no 
chair  handy  to  offer  the  visitor.  And  there  is  not  even 
a  carpet  on  the  floor  to  suggest  sitting-room  comfort. 
Everything  is  so  immaculately  clean  and  simple  and  busi- 
nesslike, that  the  visitor — standing  first  on  one  foot  and 
then  on  the  other,  as  he  is  obliged  to — states  briefly  what 
is  on  his  mind  and  then  moves,  in  a  quiet,  orderly  manner, 
toward  the  door. 

Another  plan  which  reduces  the  time  he  must  devote  to 
visitors  is  this  man's  insistence  that  everything  possible 
be  reduced  to  writing.  If  a  man  comes  in  with  a  propo- 
sition that  he  wishes  to  outline  in  considerable  detail,  this 
man  tells  him  to  present  it  in  a  letter.  One  advantage  of 
this  is  that  a  letter  may  be  read  and  disposed  of  when 
he  can  best  spare  the  time,  but  a  visitor  may  come  in  to 
talk  about  a  thing  just  when  he  is  most  anxious  to  give 
time  to  something  more  important. 

"To  read  the  average  letter,  look  up  the  subject  matter, 
and  prepare  a  proper  answer  takes  less  than  one  fourth 
the  time,"  he  declares,  ''that  is  required  to  talk  over  the 
same  matter  in  a  personal  interview — and  in  the  latter 
instance  there  is  no  record  to  fall  back  on  except  two 


PLAN  ONE   HUNDRED   SEVEN 151 

memories,  often  widely  varying  and  more  or  less  unre- 
liable." 

"Then  there  is  this  objection:  A  business  caller  ar- 
rives full  of  his  subject  and  is  likely  to  catch  the  other 
person  comparatively  unprepared.  Because  he  is  pre- 
pared for  the  interview  and  I  'm  not — inasmuch  as  he  has 
picked  the  time  for  it  and  I  did  not — he  has  really  an  un- 
fair advantage. 

"Moreover,  a  man  will  say  things  more  accurately  in 
writing.  We  all  say  things  on  which  much  more  thought 
would  be  expended  if  we  had  to  put  them  down  in  black 
and  white." 

PLAN   107 

PERHAPS  THIS  PLAN  WILL  CHECK  TIME  WAST- 
ING AS  WELL  FOR  YOU 

Sometimes  ice  are  using  our  oiim  time  to  best  advan- 
tage but  other  people  are  losing  vs  a  good  share  of  the 
time  we  save.  Here's  a  plan  that  won  for  one  man 
in  a  similar  situation. 

"I  must  find  what  ails  our  filing  system.  It  always 
seems,  when  I  particularly  want  a  letter,  it  cannot  be 
found,  and  I  waste  a  lot  of  time.  And  i±  the  file  clerk  is 
absent  no  one  else  in  the  office  can  find  anything. ' ' 

It  was  rather  a  deplorable  condition  which  the  man- 
ager of  one  business  outlined  in  these  words. 

Careful  examination  showed  that  the  trouble  lay,  not 
with  any  one  piece  of  equipment  or  any  one  individual, 
but  rather  with  a  combination  of  careless,  time-wasting 
practices  which  somehow  had  gradually  grown  up. 

The  investigation  further  showed  that  the  files  were 
stuffed  with  a  mass  of  unimportant  matter  which  was 
never  referred  to  after  it  was  filed ;  that  this  dead  material 
not  only  took  up  valuable  space  but  interfered  seriously 


152 PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED   SEVEN 

in  locating  important  documents;  that  changes  in  the 
details  of  filing  were  made  from  time  to  time  by  the  filing 
clerk  and  were  known  to  her  alone ;  and  that  practically 
no  one  in  the  office,  aside  from  the  filing  clerk,  had  a  com- 
prehensive idea  of  where  or  how  anything  was  filed.  Witli 
only  one  regular  filing  clerk  in  the  office  it  may  readily 
be  seen  how  important  it  is  for  others  to  know  where  and 
how  to  find  material  when  the  filing  clerk  is  away  from 
her  post. 

Here,  then,  was  the  manager's  first  step  :  All  of  the  filing 
drawers  were  plainly  labeled  to  show  their  contents;  so 
were  the  binders  for  quotations  and  the  indexes  used  for 
them  and  for  the  purchase  invoices.  A  printed  card  ex- 
plaining the  correspondence  filing  system  was  hung  di- 
rectly over  the  correspondence  files.  A  basket  was  put 
on  the  filing  clerk's  desk,  in  which  were  to  be  placed  all 
papers  returned  for  refiling — that  is,  those  which  had 
once  been  filed  but  had  been  removed  for  examination 
and  which  were  now  to  be  replaced  in  the  files. 

A  simple  sketch  sliowing  the  various  filing  devices,  and 
lettered  to  show  the  contents  of  each  section,  was  then 
made.  Enough  blueprints  were  struck  from  this  draw- 
ing to  supply  each  one  in  the  office  who  might  have  occa- 
sion to  consult  the  files,  and  one  was  given  to  the  filing 
clerk  as  her  plan  from  which  to  work.  To  each  blueprint 
was  attached  a  typewritten  sheet  giving,  in  words,  the 
information  shown  graphically  on  the  drawing. 

By  these  means  everyone  was  given  enough  accurate, 
concise,  and  easily  understood  information  to  enable  him 
to  find  without  difficulty  or  loss  of  time  any  paper  ho 
might  want  if  he  found  it  necessary  to  look  for  it  himself. 

A  set  of  rules  to  govern  the  handling  of  all  correspond- 
ence was  dra^vn  up  and  these  rules,  which  follow,  were 
incorporated  into  a  house  bulletin  over  the  manager's  sig- 
nature.   The  first  five  rules  are  for  all  employees,  the  last 


PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED   SEVEN 153 

five  for  the  filing  clerk  and  anyone  else  who  may  find  it 
necessary  to  remove  letters  from  the  file  in  her  absence. 

1.  Retain  nothing  in  your  individual  filing  case  ex- 
cept the  personal  or  other  papers  to  which  no  one  else 
has  occasion  to  refer. 

2.  Do  not  have  filed  unimportant  letters  or  data  which 
have  served  their  purpose.  Requests  for  prices  or  cata- 
logs, acknowledgments  of  catalogs,  and  so  forth,  only  en- 
cumber the  files. 

3.  Return  promptly  to  the  basket  at  the  filing  desk 
all  letters  or  folders  removed  from  the  general  files  for 
examination.  Be  sure  to  replace  in  a  folder  all  the  cor- 
respondence it  contained  when  you  received  it. 

4.  "When  possible  have  the  filing  clerk  procure  letters 
from  the  files  for  you. 

5. ,  Do  not  return  letters  or  folders  to  the  filing  cases. 
This  is  to  be  done  by  the  filing  clerk  exclusively. 

6.  Deliver  a  complete  folder  to  anyone  wishing  a  let- 
ter unless  the  letter  is  in  the  miscellaneous  folder,  in 
which  case  deliver  only  the  letter  requested. 

7.  When  a  complete  folder  is  removed  put  an  "out" 
guide  in  its  place,  making  the  indicated  notations  on  the 
guide. 

8.  When  a  letter  is  removed  from  a  miscellaneous 
folder  put  an  *'out"  guide  in  its  place,  making  the  indi- 
cated notations  on  the  guide. 

9.  Check  up  once  a  day  on  all  letters  or  folders  which 
have  been  out  of  the  files  for  48  hours  or  more. 

10.  File  correspondence  from  the  "return"  basket  in 
the  proper  folder  according  to  date. 

The  effects  of  observing  these  suggestions  were  imme- 
diately noticeable.  Although  no  accurate  count  was  kept, 
it  would  be  safe  to  say  that  the  volume  of  correspondence 
sent  to  the  filing  desk  was  reduced  at  least  one  half;  be- 


154  PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED   EIGHT 


CHART  1 

ORGANIZATION 
8 


EXECUTIVE  EXECUTIVE 


LINE  OF  INTERCOURSE 

MINOR  MINOR 

EXECUTIVE  EXECUTIVE 

SUB  SUB 

HEAD  HEAD 


Figure  27:  Does  this  chart  indicate  the  tvay  you  pass  details  along 
over  your  own  desk?  You'll  note  that  in  the  chart  the  main  line  of 
intercourse  is  through  the  two  chief  executives,  and,  of  course,  it 
throws  a  mass  of  detail  work  upon  them.  One  executive  eliminated 
all  this  detail.     Plan  108  and  Figure  2S  tells  you  how  he  did  it. 

sides,  the  work  of  the  filing  clerk  was  so  lightened  that 
she  has  since  been  able  to  assist  materially  in  other  de- 
partments. And  the  manager  does  not  have  to  let  valu- 
able time  slip  by  while  he  waits  for  letters  to  be  found. 

PLAN   108 

"A  NEW  VIEWPOINT  ON  DETAIL  SAVED  ME 
PRACTICALLY  100%  OF  MY  TIME" 

Here's  a  clear,  sensible  statement  by  a  man  who  readjust- 
ed his  way  of  looking  at  his  job.  It  deals  with  a  question 
of  vital  importance  to  all  of  us  who  want  to  make  every 
minute  count. 

"My  point  of  view  is  best  expressed  perhaps  in 
Figures  27  and  28,"  explains  a  western  business  man 
who  has  worked  up  from  the  bottom.  "The  whole  idea 
behind  my  time-saving  plan  is  to  overcome  the  objec- 
tions on  the  one  hand  of  one-man  control  and  on  the 


PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED   EIGHT 155 

other  make  it  possible  to  develop  men  from  under 
positions. 

"The  two  divisions  of  the  organization  A  and  B  may 
be  departments  of  equal  prestige,  or  one  may  be  head- 
quarters and  the  other  may  be  a  branch,  or  they  may 
represent  the  relations  of  two  independent  concerns. 
All  details  originating  in  one  organization  are  passed 
up  over  the  respective  desks  of  the  minor  executives  to 
the  head  executive,  who  in  turn  transmits  them  to  the 
head  of  the  other  organization,  where  they  filter  down 
through  heads  and  subheads  to  the  proper  subordinates 
to  do  the  work. 

* '  With  many  organizations  the  volume  of  papers  pass- 
ing over  the  executive's  desk  is  so  great  that  it  requires 
his  entire  time  to  give  each  one  even  the  most  meager 
attention. 

"Anybody  who  has  made  a  success  in  obtaining  re- 
sults from  an  organization  realizes  there  are  many  things 
seen  that  it  is  wiser  to  consider  unseen,  many  things  that 
can  be  done  better,  but  in  the  interest  of  subordinates 
it  is  wiser  to  let  them  be  handled  without  interference, 
and  even  with  praise  if  the  effort  attains  a  reasonable 
success.  A  business  can  be  successful  with  a  sprinkling 
of  inefficiencies  or  even  mistakes,  but  it  cannot  endure 
if  the  spirit  of  the  force  is  threatened. 

"The  plan  I  am  now  using  is  illu.strated  in  Figure 
28.  Each  subhead  or  minor  executive  is  responsible 
and  can  decide  upon  matters  in  his  own  department  or 
squad  without  fear  of  being  humiliated  by  its  counter- 
manding. Each  can  take  up  matters  directly  concern- 
ing his  own  specialty  with  outsiders  or  with  persons  of 
similar  standing  in  other  divisions  of  his  own  organiza- 
tion. Each  person  in  the  organization  feels  his  share 
of  the  responsibility  for  his  share  of  the  results.  Em- 
ployees are  supported  and  guided  instead  of  commanded. 


156 


PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED   EIGHT 


ORGANi2ATIO?4 
A 


CHART  11 


z-:KtxzcmiM£.z--^-------.txtc\iri\'£ 


ORGANIZATION 
B. 


-MAIN  LINE  OF  INTERCOURSE 
-SUPPLEMENTARY  LINES  OF  INTERCOURSE 


MINOR' 
•EXECUTIVE  — 


Figure  28:  Here's  the  time-saving  chart  as  developed  and  -put  in 
use  by  one  business  man,  wlio  declares  that  no  longer  is  he  the  over- 
worked funnel  for  all  details  passing  through  the  organization. 
"Subordinates  are  supported  and  guided  instead  of  commanded," 
and  are  encouraged  to  relieve  the  men  "at  the  top." 


A  man  always  has  the  feeling  that  no  matter  who  is 
against  him,  his  boss  is  with  him. 

"I've  organized  my  own  work  so  I  am  not  a  funnel 
through  which  all  details  leave  my  organization  nor 
the  means  through  which  they  are  fed  into  it. 

' '  I  have  to  perform,  only  a  minimum  amount  of  routine 
w^ork.  I  receive  very  little  mail  and  dictate  still  less, 
except  instructions.  I  believe  in  writing  them  if  possi- 
ble, as  it  saves  endless  bickering  because  of  misunder- 
standings. I  have  at  hand  a  book  of  carbon  copies  of  all 
letters  written  by  my  subordinates  during  the  preceding 
day,  which  I  glance  over  as  occasion  offers.  Each  of 
these  letters  is  signed  to  convej-  the  idea  that  I  am  the 
executive,  and  the  correspondent  is  merely  one  to  whom 
I  have  delegated  authority. 

"This  plan  has  doubled  the  effectiveness  of  my  office 
organization. ' ' 


PLAN   ONE    HUNDRED   TEN 


157 


PLAN   109 

NOT  "SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES"  BUT  A  "SIGN 
OF  THE  TIME" 

Of  course  there  are  some  of  jis  who  dont  care  to  use 
a  plan  of  this  type,  hut  iCs  worth  including  because 
there  are  so  many  busy  men  who  can  use  it. 

One  business  man  who  is  eager  not  to  offend  people's 
feelings,  and  yet  is  unwilling  to  waste  time,  has  ended 
his  difificulties  by  this  notice  in  a  conspicuous  place  over 
his  desk: 


When  you  visit  a  man  of 
Tell  him  quickly  your 
Leave  him  to  his  own 
Go  about  your  own 


BUSINESS 


He  declares  that  the  sign  offends  but  a  small  percentage 
of  his  visitors,  and  that  it  has  saved  him  countless,  valu- 
able minutes. 

PLAN  MO 

HERE'S  A  SIMPLE  PLAN,  BUT  IT'S  MIGHTY 
EFFECTIVE 

Ever  send  a  telegram  and  then  wait  and  fume  and  fret 
for  an  answer?    Maybe  your  man  didn't  get  it.     This 

plan  tells  how  you  can  save  some  precious  viinutes  in 
finding  out. 

Just  a  little  thing,  and  yet  of  moment  when  every  min 
ute  counts,  is  the  plan  used  in  one  large  concern  where  a 
number  of  the  executives  are  empowered  to  send  tele- 
grams over  the  firm's  name.  The  sender's  name  and  tele- 
phone number  are  put  on  the  telegram  in  brackets  in  the 
lower  left-hand  corner.  When  a  message  cannot  be  deliv- 
ered for  any  reason,  the  telegraph  company  can  instantly 
locate  the  right  man  for  further  directions. 


158 PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED    ELEVEN 

FLAN   III 
THIS  PLAN  "GETS  THE  JUMP"  ON  THE  CLOCK 

Shunting  the  detail  is  all  very  well,  but  it  must  be  done 
intelligently  or  that  same  detail  will  suffer.  Here's 
how  one  man  makes  the  7nost  of  his  time  and  not  at 
the  expense  of  detail  either. 

"My  methods  for  saving  time  are  simple,"  says  one 
business  man.  "The  first  thing  that  I  do  when  I  reach 
the  office  is  to  go  over  the  reports  of  the  day  before — these 
I  find  on  my  desk.  If  any  details  in  the  report  call  for 
attention,  I  go  after  them  at  once.  My  letters  have  been 
sorted  out  and  every  letter  that  someone  else  could  answer 
is  given  to  that  someone. 

"If  the  letter  is  more  than  ordinarily  important,  it  is 
temporarily  put  aside  for  consideration  and  disposition 
in  regular  order.  When  I  have  a  letter  requiring  a  per- 
sonal reply,  but  a  full  knowledge  of  technical  facts,  I  pass 
the  gathering  of  these  facts  and  the  dictation  on  to  the 
man  who  intimately  knows  the  subject. 

"An  executive  must  be  ever  on  the  watch  to  prevent 
detail  being  dumped  on  him ;  if  he  cannot  select  men  to 
work  with  him  as  associates  without  close  supervision,  he 
is  not  an  executive — he  is  only  an  imitation. 

* '  The  letters  which  I  should  answer  myself,  I  dictate  at 
once — if  I  am  out  of  town,  my  secretary  at  once  tells  the 
writer  so. 

* '  The  examination  of  the  reports  and  the  routine  of  the 
mail  consumes  only  a  few  hours  of  the  day,  so  that  the 
major  portions  of  the  day  I  devote  to  bigger  questions. 
I  have  no  rules  of  procedure  or  precedence. 

' '  Fixed  daily  programs  are  no  doubt  useful  to  anyone 
who  must  dispose  of  a  lot  of  routine,  but  beyond  that 
point  they  are  positively  harmful  because  they  do  not 
allow  an  opportunity  for  the  only  function  for  which  any 
man  is  paid  a  high  salary — for  thinking  and  planning. 


PLAN   ONE   HUNDRED   TWELVE 159 

' '  My  general  rule  is  this :  '  Do  but  one  thing  at  a  time. ' 
I  do  not  start  that  thing  until  I  have  all  the  facts  in  hand 
so  that  I  can  finish  it  at  a  sitting.  I  think  a  man  may 
waste  a  great  deal  of  time  in  jumping  from  one  unfin- 
ished matter  to  another,  for  concentration  means  both 
efficiency  and  dispatch.  I  work  very  quickly,  because  I 
can  dismiss  all  thoughts  from  my  mind  except  those  which 
concern  the  problem  on  which  I  am  working." 

PLAN   112 
THE  "HOURLY  REMINDER"  PLAN 

It's  usually  the  simple,  little  flans  like  this  one  thai 
"pan  out"  so  big  in  actual  practice.  It  amounts  to 
a  second  memory  for  its  originator. 

Considerable  time  was  lost,  one  executive  found,  be- 
cause of  the  numerous  points  that  came  up  throughout 
the  day  which  he  was  compelled  to  postpone  for  one  rea- 
son or  another.  This  postponement  continually  inter- 
fered with  the  regular  routine  that  passed  over  his  desk, 
and  it  also  was  distracting  because  of  his  constant  efforts 
to  remember  everything.  What  was  almost  as  bad,  an 
important  matter  would  every  now  and  then  escape  his 
attention  entirely,  because  of  several  postponements, 
which  frequently  led  to  actual  money  loss. 

Finally  he  devised  a  little  follow-up  form,  which  he  di- 
vided into  hourly  periods.  It  also  provided  space  for 
"lunch  with."  He  keeps  a  pad  of  these  on  his  desk. 
Now,  whenever  he  thinks  of  a  task  that  should  be  accom- 
plished by  a  certain  time,  he  scribbles  a  word  or  two  in 
the  appropriate  space  as  a  reminder.  Whenever  a  post- 
ponement takes  place  he  simply  scratches  out  the  first 
note  and  carries  the  entry  ahead.  At  night  he  carries 
over  incompleted  plans  to  the  next  day's  card,  and  there 
they  are  for  attention  the  next  day. 


160  PLAN    ONE    HUNDRED    FOURTEEN 

PLAN   113 

HERE  ARE  TWO  WAYS  FOR  :MAKING 
MINUTES  COUNT 

As  in  saving  vioney,  so  every  minute,  of  course,  has  its 
value  in  the  aggregate.  That's  why  this  manager  uses 
the  following  plan  to  help  carry  his  work  forward  con- 
tinously. 

A  manager,  who  signs  his  name  frequently,  fastens 
the  blotter  to  his  left  wrist  by  a  rubber  band.  This 
eliminates  waste  motion  as  he  doesn't  have  to  lay  down 
his  pen. 

He  also  saves  delays,  due  to  eye  strain  on  work  that 
requires  close  application,  by  having  a  miniature  quilt 
of  many  colors  on  his  desk  all  the  time.  When  his  eyes 
get  tired  he  stops  for  a  moment  and  rests  his  gaze  stead- 
fastly on  these  colors. 

PUN  114 

THE  LAST  PLAN  IN  THE  BOOK  BUT  A  GOOD 
ONE  TO  BEGIN  ON 

Here's  a  plan  that  takes  "time  by  the  forelock"  about 
as  literally  as  it  can  be  done.  And  the  best  of  it  is  that 
it  is  so  simple  for  busy  men  to  adapt — perhaps  not 
regularly  but  at  least  when  occasion  for  its  use  arises. 

One  western  business  man  seldom  gets  to  his  office  be- 
fore 10  o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  this  does  not  mean 
that  he  may  not  have  been  at  work  for  several  hours. 
The  nature  of  his  Avork  is  such  that  he  often  has  impor- 
tant conferences  to  hold  with  other  members  of  his  or- 
ganization and  with  out-of-town  business  men. 

His  method  is  to  invite  them  to  breakfast  at  one  of  the 
hotels.  There,  over  the  toast  and  coffee,  many  impor- 
tant business  deals  are  closed  before  the  usual  working 
day  begins. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    001014  564 


SOUTHERN  BRANCH,    . 

UNIVERSIIY  OJ-  CALIFORNIA, 

LIBRARY, 

U^S  ANGELES.  CALIF. 


i 


UniA 


